<nettime> Chuck0: Google News rejects Infoshop News; Indymedia and blogs next?

["geert lovink" <geert@xs4all.nl>]

Date: Fri, 21 Mar 2003 20:35:25 -0500
From: Chuck0 <chuck@mutualaid.org>
To: LBO-talk
Subject: Google News rejects Infoshop News; Indymedia and blogs next?

Google News rejects Infoshop News; Indymedia and blogs next?

from Chuck0
March 21, 2003

Several days ago I issued a call on Infoshop News for people to email 
Google News (http://news.google.com/), asking that this popular search 
service index Infoshop News like it was doing several months ago. One of 
Infoshop News' many readers and supporters sent Google News an email and 
got back a response which is listed below. It has become apparent that 
Google News is inventing excuses to not index popular alternative news 
websites, including Infoshop News. Google News may claim that they offer 
access to over 4500 sources of news, but their policy in regards to 
Infoshop News indicates that popular alternative news websites need not 
be indexed.

Shortly after Google announced their fancy news service that was 
trumpeted as being put together by fancy computer programs, I sent them 
an email asking that Infoshop New be included in their indexing. After 
they responded that they couldn't because of "technical reasons," I 
replied with an email explaining Infoshop News and even provided them 
with the RSS/RDF file for the website (this is an automated syndicated 
newsfeed updated three times daily.) Google News started indexing 
Infoshop News and I assumed that this was still happening until I 
conducted several test searches on Google News a few weeks ago.

It's not clear that the response from Google printed below represents 
official Google policy. If it does, it would mean that Indymedia, as 
well as many other news websites and blogs on the web would not be 
indexed. Not only would this again reinforce the media monopoly, but 
Google users would lose access to the exciting phenomenon of independent 
news publishing on the Internet.

If you take this rejection letter seriously, there are several problems 
with it. First of all, the articles on Infoshop News are not all 
produced by one person. Secondly, we don't have any paid staff, but we 
feature original content and content from mainstream and alternative 
news sources. And as many Infoshop News regulars know, I serve very much 
as a staff editor for Infoshop News.

If you suggest Infoshop News and independent news websites like 
Indymedia, please send an email of support to:
news-feedback@google.com <mailto:news-feedback@google.com>

If you are interested in signing a letter of support, if Google News 
continues their stubborness, please send me an email.


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