<p class="title">Original reporting will be highlighted in Google's search results, the company said as it announced changes to its algorithm.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The world's largest search engine has come under increasing criticism from media outlets, mainly because of its algorithms -- a set of instructions followed by computers -- that newspapers have often blamed for plummeting online traffic and the industry's decline.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Explaining some of the changes in a blog post, Google's vice president of news Richard Gingras said stories that were critically important and labour-intensive -- requiring experienced investigative skills, for example -- would be promoted.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Articles that demonstrated "original, in-depth and investigative reporting," would be given the highest possible rating by reviewers, he wrote on Thursday.</p>.<p class="bodytext">These reviewers -- roughly 10,000 people whose feedback contributes to Google's algorithm -- will also determine the publisher's overall reputation for original reporting, promoting outlets that have been awarded Pulitzer Prizes, for example.</p>.<p class="bodytext">It remains to be seen how such changes will affect news outlets, especially smaller online sites and local newspapers, who have borne the brunt of the changing media landscape.</p>.<p class="bodytext">And as noted by the technology website TechCrunch, it is hard to define exactly what original reporting is: many online outlets build on 'scoops' or exclusives with their own original information, a complexity an algorithm may have a hard time picking through.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Verge -- another technology publication -- wrote the emphasis on originality could exacerbate an already frenetic online news cycle by making it lucrative to get breaking news online even faster and without proper verification.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The change comes as Google continues to face criticism for its impact on the news media.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Many publishers say the tech giant's algorithms -- which remain a source of mysterious frustration for anyone outside Google -- reward clickbait and allow investigative and original stories to disappear online.</p>
<p class="title">Original reporting will be highlighted in Google's search results, the company said as it announced changes to its algorithm.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The world's largest search engine has come under increasing criticism from media outlets, mainly because of its algorithms -- a set of instructions followed by computers -- that newspapers have often blamed for plummeting online traffic and the industry's decline.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Explaining some of the changes in a blog post, Google's vice president of news Richard Gingras said stories that were critically important and labour-intensive -- requiring experienced investigative skills, for example -- would be promoted.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Articles that demonstrated "original, in-depth and investigative reporting," would be given the highest possible rating by reviewers, he wrote on Thursday.</p>.<p class="bodytext">These reviewers -- roughly 10,000 people whose feedback contributes to Google's algorithm -- will also determine the publisher's overall reputation for original reporting, promoting outlets that have been awarded Pulitzer Prizes, for example.</p>.<p class="bodytext">It remains to be seen how such changes will affect news outlets, especially smaller online sites and local newspapers, who have borne the brunt of the changing media landscape.</p>.<p class="bodytext">And as noted by the technology website TechCrunch, it is hard to define exactly what original reporting is: many online outlets build on 'scoops' or exclusives with their own original information, a complexity an algorithm may have a hard time picking through.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Verge -- another technology publication -- wrote the emphasis on originality could exacerbate an already frenetic online news cycle by making it lucrative to get breaking news online even faster and without proper verification.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The change comes as Google continues to face criticism for its impact on the news media.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Many publishers say the tech giant's algorithms -- which remain a source of mysterious frustration for anyone outside Google -- reward clickbait and allow investigative and original stories to disappear online.</p>