Choose Your News

Unhappy with the  mainstream media these days?  Having trouble with the fact that the paper of record helped drive the country to war with misleading stories on Iraqi weapons of mass destruction?  Disappointed in their coverage of the "issues" in the recent US presidential election?  Choose a different source for your news.  Or, should I say, let let Google choose your news for you.

In their own words, Google News is highly unusual in that
it offers a news service compiled solely by computer algorithms
without human intervention. While the sources of the news vary in
perspective and editorial approach, their selection for inclusion
is done without regard to political viewpoint or ideology. While
this may lead to some occasionally unusual and contradictory
groupings, it is exactly this variety that makes Google News a
valuable source of information on the important issues of the
day."

In other words, Google applies what it does for search to the
news. The sources that appear on the news pages are
diverse–today’s news featured stories ranging from small
publications like the Monterey County Herald to the giant
New York Times .
International sources are also well represented–have you read the
Borneo Bulletin lately?  Another
useful Google news feature;it groups coverage on a particular
story, so if you want to see another paper’s take on an issue, it’s
as easy as viewing one of the umpteen related links. It’s a
post-modern paradise.

I am beginning to think that new tools like Google news can help
us stay involved, make sense of the world, and ultimately, hold the
representatives we send to office accountable for their
actions.

One thought on “Choose Your News

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *