Newsrooms with left-wing readers get five times more views on Google’s Top Stories box compared to newsrooms with right-wing readers
The most popular and powerful search engine in the world may be playing favourites.
A new report reveals Google tends to only feature a handful of news outlets (all with a left-leaning audience) in their Top Stories box — a spot in search results every newsroom is clawing for.
The study shows articles from publications with left-wing readers get about five times as many views as those with a right-leaning readership.
The researchers from North Western University in Illinois used data from 2017 to test 30 articles for a month, collecting more than 6,300 links.
CNN, The New York Times and The Washington Post dominate the section, having their name on almost one in four of all Top Stories. Meanwhile, Fox News articles showed up in three per cent of searches.
“Google Top Stories box impressions tend to have a more left-leaning than right-leaning inclination,” researchers Daniel Trielli and Nicholas Diakopoulos wrote in the study.
Bobby Hristova – National Post – May 15, 2019.
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