News Courtesy of SearchEngineLand.com:

I love Google News. The ability to monitor topics of your choice and blend them with breaking local, national, and world news makes it my preferred source. It’s hard to take major news outlets serious these days. There always seems to be some bias in one direction or another. That’s not to say that these outlets are blatantly lying. However, the narrative they form can be very misleading. Especially, if key information is omitted.

Obviously, Youtube is more of an extension to Google than an asset. Acquired, over a decade ago it has proven to be a cultural phenomenon across generations young and old. It makes sense for them to use this popularity to spread awareness of breaking news. It’s a nice touch that disclaimers will be added to recent news indicating that the facts may change as more information is gathered. In this era of judgment before trial, not getting the full story could be devastating to certain parties accused of wrongdoing.

One of the more popular ways a story can gain traction is through social media posts targeting an alleged assailant. Of course, free speech should not be curbed because of potential inaccuracies. However, whether an allegation can be proven or not, it often has dire consequences through employment termination and even threats against the offending party.

Hopefully, with all their might, Google can give thought to the masses that what they read may not be the complete picture. Sensationalism has seemed to overtaken rationalization as far as producing newsworthy content. It’s important to keep an open mind as people are more passionate than ever with their opinions. Getting the facts and rewarding news websites that don’t try to paint a story in a certain light should get priority in Google’s algorithms. At least, I hope it does.