• Information Week, Thursday, August 9, 2007 11 AM

Google on Thursday introduced a controversial new feature to its Google News service that allows experts and analysts quoted in news articles to publish their comments next to the Google News link and blurb to avoid being misquoted. In a blog post, Google News programmers Dan Meredith and Andy Golding said: "Comments will be published in full, without any edits, but marked as 'comments' so readers know it's the individual's perspective, rather than part of a journalist's report."

Google's reasoning is "to make the full spectrum of views and information on a story available to everyone," the company stated, but news outlets across the country say this invites problems. For one, WebbAlert's Morgan Webb says it would be nearly impossible for Google News to verify that comments come from trusted sources. What about local news stories citing local people nobody ever heard of?

Even in cases where sources are verified, news stories might devolve into a giant he said-she said debate. If Google wanted to be completely "fair," it should start tapping phone lines or streaming tape-recorded conversations. "Sources", after all, are often professionals with vested interests, so how do comments "add" to the reader experience? Sure, they may expose "shoddy or malicious" reporting in some instances, but the flip side is allowing opportunists the chance to discredit a piece of accurate reporting.

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