• by Sean Hargrave , Staff Writer, October 24, 2019

People may have gotten so fed up with Brexit shenanigans that Sky News has launched a spinoff channel where "the B word" is never mentioned but there are still interesting lessons to be learned from politicians shouting at each other.

The media world has just received a very clear steer on what Google thinks of it all and the BBC, The Guardian and The Independenthave come out on top.

According to Searchmetrics, they account for -- in order -- 29%, 12% and 9% of search results when people go searching for news about Brexit.

Why should this matter? Well, when you consider that it's the biggest content discovery engine that has ever existed, it is compelling to find out which news organisations are delivering the most relevant news on Brexit.

Anyone in search marketing will know we are now in the era where it is so hard to fool Google in the long term that it just isn't worth bothering. It has become so good at recognising what the reputable and authoritative sites are when it comes to giving readers the information they need.

Now, it almost goes without saying that the BBC would be on top. It is way out ahead as the leading news organisation in the UK. However, the interesting part is that the number two spot and number three position go to liberal newspapers, which one would probably say are on the left -- perhaps just left of centre -- of British politics. 

When we look at the kind of press that call out anyone suggesting the rule of law should apply to the Brexit process as "traitors" and so on, we find The Telegraph and The Express in fifth and sixth position (Wikipedia is in fourth). The Sun is way down the list in the eleventh spot. 

So, to borrow the title of a certain book about the "bad boy who won Brexit," it would appear the good guys are winning the day on Google.

The top three news organisations are accounting for a half of all search results, leaving those who like to spit venom at remainers trailing miles behind.

The same goes for scores for setting the agenda attributed by Searchmetrics. Even with no BBC, combined scores for The Guardian and The Independent are greater than the virulent Leave tabloids. 

Press Gazettereveals that the researchers believe Google sees the BBC as the most unbiased news in the UK with The Guardian is probably identified as the source that relies on experts and facts.

For me, this probably says as much about the sources at the bottom of the pile, The Express, The Sun, The Telegraph and Daily Mail as it does about the BBC and The Guardian. 

The "bad boys" might have won Brexit, but it certainly looks like the good guys are the places to go for unbiased, informative news on the latest developments.

Google has done the UK a favour in pointing this out via some excellent research by Searchmetrics.