I am a self-confessed news junkie. I’m happy to admit it. I read news from every corner of the internet, from every sort of publication, regardless of whether they identify as leftwing, right wing, centrist, liberal, or whatever politically oriented people identify with these days.
So why do I think Google sucks? Let me explain. Very simply: Curated newsfeeds. If I wanted a curated newsfeed, I would have asked for it. If I don’t read something, it’s because I haven’t seen it or I disregard the origin of the story as being less than trustworthy. I don’t need Google to do that for me.
Here’s their disclaimer for how they rank stories:
These news articles are ranked based on their quality, originality of content, freshness of content, and where permitted based on your settings, your previous activity and purchases within Google News, and activity in other Google products. Google may have a license agreement with some of these publishers, but it has no impact on the ranking of results.
Who is the judge of quality and originality? Freshness of content? You got to be kidding. Most stories have been there for at least a day, some for several days. And Some of the sources? Lamestream Media. Unknown and bizarrely named sites, like The Darden Report. I get 50% CNN, 10% Al Jazeera, 10% FOX News, 10% The Times of Israel, and the rest? Old news agency pieces from AP, Reuters, AFP etc.
I know, I know… why use Google News if you are not happy with it? I like aggregated newsfeeds. I always have. But I like my news served fresh, like my sushi.
Whatever twisted algorithm is lurking in the backdoor of Google News needs to be flushed mercilessly down the toilet. It is not helping anyone.
There is no originality. The quality sucks. It’s not fresh.
So how do I get around this with Google? It requires a couple of clicks.
- Use the search bar to search for a topic (but not from within Google news)
- Click on ‘News’
- Click on ‘Tools’
- Click on ‘Recent’
- Click on ‘Past Hour’
This way you get topic relevant, fresh news. The alternative is to use another newsfeed, which might be easier. Who wants 3-day-old content served up to them first thing in the morning? I most certainly do not.
Get your finger out, Google! Give the people fresh, tasty, global news that covers the political, economic, and social spectrum. We don’t need nanny news feeding.
