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Google Plans to Rank News By Quality

By Ed Oswald, BetaNews

April 29, 2005, 8:12 PM

Patents recently filed by search giant Google reveal that it plans to soon rank news stories by the quality and credibility of the source, rather than just by date or relevance as it currently does in its searches.

Presently, entering a search term such as "Longhorn" into Google's news search will not only return articles from more reputable and established news sites, but also from Web logs and enthusiast sites as well. Google's current methods do not consider reputation and will instead bring up more recent or keyword relevant information regardless of source.

The patent calls for the building of a database that will track certain aspects of news organizations to determine a ranking. Some of the factors taken into account include the size of the organization, average story length, number of citations to the story, and Web traffic into the site.

The methods within the patent may eventually make it into other applications the company is developing, or into its searches other than news.

In recent months, more and more Web logs and enthusiast sites have made their way into Google's news listings, which sometimes can include inaccurate or biased information. The patent is ostensibly an attempt by Google to fix this problem and make its news more useful to its visitors.

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By wet89wet

posted May 3, 2005 - 2:19 PM

* Ranking a Stream of News, accepted at www05

http://www.di.unipi.it/%...lcorso_gulli_romani.pdf

"In this paper, we introduce this problem by proposing a ranking framework which models: (1) the process of generation of a stream of news articles, (2)
the news articles clustering by topics, and (3) the evolution of news story over the time. The ranking algorithm proposed ranks news information, finding the most authoritative news sources and identifying the most interesting events in the different categories to which news article belongs. All these ranking measures take in account the time and can be obtained without a predefined sliding window of observation over the stream. The complexity of our algorithm is linear
in the number of pieces of news still under consideration at the time of a new posting. This allow a continuous on-line process of ranking."

Score: 0

By Metshrine

posted May 2, 2005 - 10:12 AM

We can finally get rid of all those damn experts-exchange links that show up whenever you enter a PC Support question, leading you to that site requiring you to pay for the answer. Experts-exchange is the BIGGEST joke on the net and is more annoying than anything else.

Score: 0

By VikingBlade

edited May 2, 2005 - 5:58 PM

Though one of the funniest thing about that site is the answer is actually free once you scroll down enough. Really... what the heck is the point of doing that...

Score: 0

By zridling

edited May 1, 2005 - 11:56 PM

Because the conservative media doesn't even report news anymore (can you say Jeff Gannon?, the man who published white house faxes as news stories on Fox) and the conservative corporate media rely on political propaganda from the white house rather than actually reporting anything, along with thousands of radcon bloggers typing faster than monkies on crack, Google had to do this. The conservatives were distorting the news cycles to the point that the lower the stock market fell and higher gas prices went, the more stories you suddenly read about Michael Jackson's or Bill Clinton's p****es. Google News just kept getting more right-wing by the day. Check out both Technorati and Google Zeitgeist on any given day to see the distortions — are billions still talking about Britney Spears (a self-proclaimed adulterous republican) nonstop? PUH-Leeeeze. The conservative media are true to their distortions. Good for Google for trying to stop the right-wing from bringing their filth into our homes 24/7.

Score: 0

By maoge

posted Sep 12, 2005 - 10:35 PM

Good point

http://www.casino8net.com

Score: 0

By Kompressor

posted May 2, 2005 - 10:34 AM

Cuckoo!

Score: 0

By frankwick

posted May 2, 2005 - 10:13 AM

Most traditional media is biased to the left and it is very obvious. The fact that Fox doesn't swing that way, and actually states so, has caused shockwaves throughout the media industry.

As an independent, I am sick of people bashing Fox, but giving the old-school broadcasters a free pass to continue with their agendas. When someone disrupts the waters that have been flowing in one direction for years, certain people tend to get nervous.

Score: 0

By imafurby

posted May 1, 2005 - 3:07 PM

I can see where all this is going. It's the new totalitarian playground, where all information is vetted and filtered through "people who know what's best for us". I ain't a big fan of that darling lil' ol "Wikipedia" either, for that matter.

Score: 0

By frankwick

posted May 2, 2005 - 5:08 PM

It's the internet. It's the wild frontier. Start your own 'google' and filter the news the way you want.

Score: 0

By Scipio

posted May 1, 2005 - 10:08 PM

It certainly looks like political bias to me. All the major and older news sources are leftward biased.

Aside from that, I already know where ABC and CBS are. When I do a Google search I want to turn up stuff I never could have found on my own.

If they bury all the blogs and new media in favor of the old media, it will severely limit their usefulness as a search engine.

Score: 0

By wincement

posted May 1, 2005 - 7:03 PM

Get real. Read my comment below. It says all I can say about your ignorance.

Score: 0

By imafurby

posted May 1, 2005 - 7:17 PM

Ok, but when you lose your freedom to speak freely, or think for yourself, don't come running to me crying about it.

Score: 0

By wincement

posted May 1, 2005 - 10:02 PM

I'll be sure to keep that in mind. *winks*

Score: 0

By wet89wet

posted May 1, 2005 - 12:58 AM

I would like to know the date.

Score: 0

By TC17

posted Apr 30, 2005 - 12:52 PM

So now basically Google is censoring the news. Pulling a Fox News stunt and only reporting/showing what they want or determine to be correct.

Score: 0

By speedmeister

edited May 1, 2005 - 1:48 PM

Maybe your sources are different but I didn't see anywhere where it stated that various publications were going to be pulled. If google wanted to exclude certain articles to ideology there isn't anything that would preclude them from doing that right now. This isn't no different then when google makes a change to their web search algorithm. You might not be on page one anymore but if you have the right keywords and you are willing to read more than a few pages you will find what you are looking for.

Score: 0

By wincement

posted Apr 30, 2005 - 6:08 PM

"So now basically Google is censoring the news. Pulling a Fox News stunt and only reporting/showing what they want or determine to be correct."

Grow up.

1. Every news service (not just Fox news) has to filter through the stories - there's just way too much news out there to report.

2. It's all being handled by logical programming algorithms. It's not like some guy is going to sit there and say, "Uh oh, that article conflicts with my political viewpoint. Let's not post that one. Oh wait, this next one enforces my biases - put that one at the top of the list."

If you want to filter through billions of blogs, have at it. I, for one, look forward to the convenience of having that filtering, sorting, and searching already done so that I can find information from reliable sources.

Score: 0

By rowdy50

posted May 1, 2005 - 11:06 AM

When are people going to get over that ole "Tired and Worn Out" line about Fox News. I'm interested to see what Google comes up with. Then I'll decide. Might be good, might not be.

Score: 0

By speedmeister

posted May 1, 2005 - 1:42 PM

ditto. I will reserve judgement on it until I see this in action.

Score: 0

By Planet.Of.Wounds

posted Apr 30, 2005 - 4:57 AM

"a database that will track certain aspects of news organizations to determine a ranking. Some of the factors taken into account include the size of the organization, average story length, number of citations to the story, and Web traffic into the site."

... And that's what supposed to determine the "quality and credibility of the source" ? Allow me to giggle, Mr Google.

Somehow, I have the feeling that Google has lost it - or just doesn't get it - considering how big size news organizations (the "MSM") are going down in flames now that their bias, lack of accuracy and full blown set-ups and lies (CBS/Dan Rather anyone?) have been exposed lately.

Besides, I don't believe it's the role of a search engine to cast a jugdment of value over that sort of things (let's examine first Google's own credibility: Quis Custodiet Ipsos Custodes?) - however, it will be interesting in the sense that, doing so, Google will reveal its own bias... Now let me wonder what's to expect from a company that helped China's ruling thugs to censor and control the access to the news in their dictatorship?

Score: 0

By pawt

edited May 3, 2005 - 7:53 PM

"a database that will track certain aspects of news organizations to determine a ranking. Some of the factors taken into account include the size of the organization, average story length, number of citations to the story, and Web traffic into the site."

This is essentially an application of a slightly-modified PageRank algorithm to news sites...not a political agenda-pushing behemoth. Nice try though.

Score: 0

By rustik_one

posted May 1, 2005 - 4:34 PM

I think many people are just eager to cry "conspiracy" or "monopoly" whenever anything that involves a well known, widely used, & profitable business changes a product or service in any way.

Nevermind that Google provides fine services that these full-time critics use daily, or that the services they offer are above reproach. The important thing is, "OMG! They're gonna CHANGE something? We FEAR change! EEEK!"

If only the world would cease all this innovation & evolution, entities could stop seeking income & thereby cripple the research & advancement of products and services, & we can all enjoy a nice communistic stalemate where all is free, & nothing ever changes! Personally, I'd love for things to stay stuck in an era -- save me $$$ on my wardrobe & hardware updates :D

Score: 0

By wincement

posted Apr 30, 2005 - 12:36 PM

I agree with your statement. Just because a large number of people visit a website, that doesn't make it credible. But from a strictly logical algorithmic computer programming stand-point, that probably will be the most effective way of finding quality articles. That's my humble opinion anyway.

Score: 0

By GoodThings2Life

posted Apr 30, 2005 - 7:52 AM

"... And that's what supposed to determine the "quality and credibility of the source" ? Allow me to giggle, Mr Google."

Actually, yes... those qualities do, in fact, add much credibility to a "news" site. Any college professor or student can tell you that only a credible, professional source of information can be included into a research paper of any format. You can't get away with using someone's blog.

If Google has a way of reasonably ranking by those features, fantastic... nothing is more irritating that looking for research information and finding hundreds of irrelevant links.

Score: 0

By wincement

posted Apr 29, 2005 - 11:35 PM

Personally, I think this would be a good improvement. I like the customization of Google news, but some of the articles that have come up in my searches are pretty poor. Some results are even just blogs on some random websites.

It would be nice to have relevant AND quality search results. Once again, go Google. :p

Score: 0

By Kramy

posted Apr 30, 2005 - 3:33 PM

The keyword being "SOME of the factors...",

I have to agree that this is a good thing. If you're looking for blogs, just run a normal google search with blog as a keyword aswell.

Score: 0

By Kramy

edited Apr 30, 2005 - 3:58 PM

Dang, double comment. XD

Score: 0

By chriscollier

edited May 1, 2005 - 10:28 AM

Some of you people amaze me... You actually want to sit there and believe Google is going to cast a political bias on this through search results? They don’t on anything else, plus, they are not the ones COVERING the story...that is being done by a "biased" news station already as you might put it...they (Google Inc.) just give us as consumers, a means in which to attain this information. If you think this is some scheme of Google's to control your ideas, thoughts, and even opinions on world happenings, then get over yourself...your not that important.
-BigC

p.s. - last I checked Google had the colors Red, Blue, and even Green in their corporate logo, so at least we all know they are not being biased towards a particular political party in their logo. Wow, thats a relief!

Score: 0

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