Google News

[AdamGG]

I've used Google News as the home page on my laptop for many years. But, I've frequently noticed how the aggregated stories often contain headlines from Fox that are not the most important fact about a current story, but basically a smear against Democrats.

For example, I'm looking at Google News now and the top group of stories are about the G20 summit. The top, most bolded headline of the group is from Fox and it says, "Biden appears to use prepared list of reporters after G20 summit in Rome". 2 of the remaining 4 headlines that appear in this topic are also from Fox. They say, "Biden arrives at COP26 climate summit with a US energy crisis he created" and "Biden apologizes for being late to G20 press conference: 'We were playing with elevators'"

The average person who scans these headlines to get a sense of current events is being continuously bombarded with purposely crafted negative propaganda. I'm not sure if Fox games Google to get their headlines so prominently placed, or if Google is complicit, but it's frustrating to see Biden's poll numbers fall, nearly entirely over bullshit. The problem is that Fox doesn't just influence their zombie followers, who choose to watch Fox, they get their headlines prominently placed on major supposedly nonpartisan news aggregation sites and subliminally influence people.

[Joinfortmill]

1. I've noticed the headlines

[NJCher]

2. I click Google News at least once every night

and I have noticed the same. I will rarely if ever click on a Fox News link. Probably in my entire life I have only clicked on them less than five times. For the past week, Fox News links have appeared at the top of my news stories.

There's another thing about Google News that don't like and why I am going to quit using them. That is there are certain web sites that put out stories that are in an area of particular interest to me. However they lose their legitimacy in my eyes when it is these sites that appear time after time after time. I think they have campaigns that make their stories appear more than others. I am interested in health and nutrition, so I am getting a lot of "Eat This Not That" stories. It used to be "The Spruce."

I'm going to find another way to look for news stories and latest breaking news.

[Duppers]

3. K & R

Same here.

[cadoman]

4. there's never been a President who was given the white glove treatment as often as drumpf was

The press had a severe case of "both-sidism" for four years and steadily refused to call him out for the fascist that he is.

I suggest using Google's "Send Feedback" option on the left side and demand they stop promoting right wing extremism in their news service. Maybe even stop using them entirely and use a different site or forum that covers progressives objectively.

[orleans]

6. i just looked on google news and this was the lovely top headline

brought to us by cnn
"COP26 climate talks off to an ominous start after weak G20 leaders' meeting"

great

[love_katz]

7. I am really glad to see that people have become aware of the real bias of both-siderism.

Most corporate owned news sources clearly skew towards the wrong wingers and their views and also squash more liberal ideas by their bogus both- siderism claims. Anyone who is actually paying attention knows that both sides don't. Corporate owned news sources need to lose viewers and influence. They have not just failed at their job, which is to research an issue and ask penetrating and challenging questions. The problem is that the owners, who make the decisions about who to hire and fire, and what can actually be said, are very rich people whose agenda is profited by supporting the status quo. Until we can break up these monopolies, it seems our best bet is to vote with our wallets. As much as we can afford to, we are better off supporting independent bloggers and more progressive sites like DU.

[zuul]

8. I consider it "tech bro news"

It and other such sources always have an ulterior motive and it’s not to spread the truth.

[Kid Berwyn]

9. Same here. Fox leads.

Then, the New York Post.

Today they’re pointing out how McAuliffe wants “more diversity” among public school teachers in VA.

Sort of a pattern.

[blogslug]

10. Hover your cursor over one of the Fox news story links

You'll see and icon of three little dots. Click it and you get a dialogue box which includes the option "Hide Stories from Fox News". Choose that option then refresh the page.

[dalton99a]

11. You have to be signed in to Google to see that option

[blogslug]

12. this is correct

[AdamGG]

13. I could remove Fox from my Google News feed, but

the problem is that most people don't and millions form their opinions by scanning through Google News headlines. I guess the problem is Google's "bother siderism", but half the headlines are Fox & NY Post and they're strategically coordinated to undermine Biden, while the NY Times, Washington Post headlines are standard descending pyramid journalism reporting of the facts.

When Fox finds the most important G20 story to be things like Biden allegedly didn't know how to use the elevators, they should be removed from the mix because they are not, in good faith, reporting news. I'd like to see someone compile a list of what Fox's Google News headlines have been over the course of a year and form a pressure group to get them removed from news aggregation sites. Take it out of the subliminal realm and apply a lot of public pressure. A collection of a year's worth of headlines would create a hilarious list that would get reported and recognized.

[hunter]

14. So how do we fix that?

I declared war on mass media news, especially television news and opinion about twenty years ago. Here on DU I'm an anti-television evangelist. My wife and I quit traditional broadcast and cable television more than a decade ago. We never see commercials in our regular television viewing. Mostly we watch DVDs and Netflix.

How do you convince people that their news sources are tainted?

I check in on google news occasionally but I've hidden news sources that offend me. Google knows that, of course, but I don't pretend so many others might do the same that Google will drop the dirtiest right wing news sources from their feeds. All they care about is the clicks. Rotten news sources generate traffic.

[AdamGG]

15. Maybe activism to raise attention to it?

Last edited Mon Nov 1, 2021, 04:54 PM - Edit history (1)

I don't know about convincing people to cut the cable, but a high profile campaign to raise awareness and pressure Google might be helpful. Opinion and slanderous headlines shouldn't be given the same weight as straight news in their algorithms.