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Google doesn't produce news, though. It aggregates it based on user preferences and history. Complaining that the aggregate of news doesn't cast you in a good l

Google doesn't produce news, though. It aggregates it based on user preferences and history. Complaining that the aggregate of news doesn't cast you in a good light is more of a reflection of who you are than what the aggregator is, as a public figure.

malvosenior 8y ago
It also filters some sources and promotes other sources based on opaque criteria that many suspect to have political bias.
- UncleMeat 8y ago
  Do you really want a unsorted list of all web pages that contain your search keywords?
  - malvosenior 8y ago
    No, but I definitely don't want the results influenced by partisan politics.
- root_axis 8y ago
  So what? If you don't like how the algorithm sorts search results then use one of the many competitors. If you think the competition is inferior then you're by definition saying that the google algorithm is preferable to the competition despite whatever political bias you see in the results.
  - malvosenior 8y ago
    It's good to call for transparency. Google has an effective monopoly on search so it's not just about me as an individual switching to ddg or something. Google can make and break media properties based on what are currently hidden and seemingly editorialized levers. I'm not a fan of regulation but as a consumer I'm absolutely within my rights to ask Google tough questions.
    - beams_of_light 8y ago
      Google does not have an effective monopoly on search, and they've been very transparent about how you receive news on news.google.com.
      - malvosenior 8y ago
        > Google does not have an effective monopoly on search That is clearly false.
    - root_axis 8y ago
      What does it mean to have a monopoly on a product that costs nothing? Saying google has a monopoly on search is akin to saying that Tolkien has a monopoly on high fantasy novels; just because it's the most popular on the market doesn't mean its your only option, and the same is true of search engines.
      - malvosenior 8y ago
        https://quarterlyvalue.com/is-google-a-monopoly-79627b04941d https://quarterlyvalue.com/is-google-a-monopoly-79627b04941d

malvosenior 8y ago

It also filters some sources and promotes other sources based on opaque criteria that many suspect to have political bias.

UncleMeat 8y ago
Do you really want a unsorted list of all web pages that contain your search keywords?
- malvosenior 8y ago
  No, but I definitely don't want the results influenced by partisan politics.
root_axis 8y ago
So what? If you don't like how the algorithm sorts search results then use one of the many competitors. If you think the competition is inferior then you're by definition saying that the google algorithm is preferable to the competition despite whatever political bias you see in the results.
- malvosenior 8y ago
  It's good to call for transparency. Google has an effective monopoly on search so it's not just about me as an individual switching to ddg or something. Google can make and break media properties based on what are currently hidden and seemingly editorialized levers. I'm not a fan of regulation but as a consumer I'm absolutely within my rights to ask Google tough questions.
  - beams_of_light 8y ago
    Google does not have an effective monopoly on search, and they've been very transparent about how you receive news on news.google.com.
    - malvosenior 8y ago
      > Google does not have an effective monopoly on search That is clearly false.
  - root_axis 8y ago
    What does it mean to have a monopoly on a product that costs nothing? Saying google has a monopoly on search is akin to saying that Tolkien has a monopoly on high fantasy novels; just because it's the most popular on the market doesn't mean its your only option, and the same is true of search engines.
    - malvosenior 8y ago
      https://quarterlyvalue.com/is-google-a-monopoly-79627b04941d https://quarterlyvalue.com/is-google-a-monopoly-79627b04941d