Google ran an experiment to understand the value of European news content. The data shows people visited Google only slightly less often when this content was removed, and Google’s ad revenue did not significantly change.

  • Zedstrian@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    1 day ago

    That’s a symptom of Google holding a monopoly over search results.

    Real reporting will always cost more to produce than AI-generated propaganda, and if the former has a paywall and the latter doesn’t, people will inevitably end up reading the news that takes the least effort to produce, to the detriment of actual news reporting.

    Requiring Google to both carry such content and pay for it at least ensures that it has an even footing with websites seeking to push propaganda instead.

    • raef@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      I think it’s problematic to require an organization to do something and then charge for it. It’s one thing if they do something of their own volition and then are required to pay