Online Papers Warned about Google News Deal with News Agencies

by Laura Oliver - Journalism.co.uk, www.journalism.co.uk

In an October 3, 2007 post on journalism.co.uk, Laura Oliver summarizes comments Peter Bale - the former editorial director of London's Times Online - made about Google's recent move to publish news agency content.

Oliver writes:

MSN.co.uk's executive producer today warned newspapers that their online operations could be adversely affected by Google's recent move to publish news agency content.

Speaking at the Association of Online Publishers conference, in London, Peter Bale warned his former employers the Times, along with the Guardian and the Sun that they may experience a 'bump down' in traffic because Google now carries news stories supplied by major agencies including the Press Association and the Associated Press.

The former editorial director of Times Online - who added that while at the Murdoch-owned paper he loved what Google did for the sites he managed - urged publishers to assess the value of their relationship with Google.

"While the agencies will consider it [the Google/agency deal] as welcome news, publishers should be very aware of what that really means to them," he said.

"I imagine that publishers such as the Times, the Guardian, the Sun, will start to see quite a bump down in traffic being generated from Google to them from that.

"And I think that the idea that Google is not a publisher, you only have to look at Google Finance to see that at least it is a virtual publisher..."

Click here for Oliver's post in its entirety on journalism.co.uk.