The News According To Google How Does Algorithmic Infomediation
Frame the Work of French Journalists ?
Nikos Smyrnaios, University of Toulouse Guillaume Sire, University of Paris 2
JSS-ECREA Conference, Thessaloniki, March 27-29 2014.
Research question & methodWhat does Google do to journalism ?
More than 50 interviews with French journalists, SEO specialists in news organizations & Google employees
Analysis of 252 online news items of 6 news websites
Study of patents related to Google News
Longtime observation of of the relationship between French news websites publishers and Google (2003-
2013)
News infomediation ?“Connecting information supply with information
demand and helping both parties involved determine the value of that information” (Hagel III, Rayport, 1997,
p. 9). Infomediaries operate a mix of aggregation & distribution of 3rd party content
Based on algorithms and social interactions, financed by ads and/or commissions
Google but also Facebook, Twitter, Apple, ISPs etc.
Coopetition = simultaneous cooperation & competition between publishers & infomediaries
Mutual dependency: Google needs publishers for the content, publishers need Google for the traffic
But the balance of power largely in favour of Google.
Competition for online advertising revenue and symbolic antagonism: who’s rules follow the news ?
In France: 2003-2008 conflicting period
2013 Google agrees to pay €60M over 3 years
In the meantime publishers “enslave themselves to Google”
Newsworthiness for Google
Ranking in Google newsFor news sites: productivity, reactivity, popularity, completeness
For news topics: cluster size, novelty, sources
For news items: novelty, originality, click-through rate, mentions in social media, sources
2 traffic sources: Google for archives Google News for hot
news
Journalistic practicesProliferation of “Keyword:…” style headlines (Google loves them) e.g.
2 headlines (rarely used) : 1 for Google, 1 for readers
Shovelware: re-writing of press agency and PR material (time consuming, low value for journalists)
Use of Google Insights to know most searched subjects
Use of analytics to appreciate audience performance
These are mandatory practices that depend on the context. But they are on the rise
SEO for newsInsourcing : SEO specialists inside all main French
publishers’ online newsrooms
Internal position: close to management, better paid than journalists, no hierarchical power over journalists
but “technical” influence (through management)
External position : represent publishers towards Google
- use of Sitemaps, meta-tags, microdata- articles behind a paywall become free access via
Google, - massive use of internal links, - influence on publishing timing - Keyword centered landing pages- Re-publishing with changing headlines
Business strategiesLe Conjugueur : top news websites intensely use
(hidden) links towards their own dictionaries
Publishers can be tempted to sell outgoing links with high PageRank
In France not yet
In the US & the UK it is already a market
Business strategiesPublishers’ business strategies towards Google as a compromise: revenue /dependency/deontology
Does Google privilege his advertising partners ?
G
Market share on Google News’ Top Stories (February
2014)
Google Ads
Organic reach on Facebook diminishes drastically
Facebook pushes paid reach
Launch of Public Content Solutions (PCS) dedicated to
media partners
Apple imposes draconian Terms &
Conditions
Gets 30% commission
Newsstand dedicated to publishers
ConclusionsOnline media are highly dependent on
infomediaries
Google is still the most important one for publishers
SEO specialists are mediators between journalists, marketers, managers & Google
There is an important impact of SEO on journalism (practices, work routines, editorial
choices)
Nevertheless this impact depends on the context (journalists capacity of negotiation, business
models, professional ethics)