Google News Prank Confirmed; News Source Removed From News Index
Nathan Weinberg reports that I Newswire, a free press release distribution service has been removed from the Google News index after releasing a false press release submitted by a teenager. The 15-year-old teenager, Thomas Vendetta, wrote a press release prank, saying that Google hired him. The news got digged and then the prank was uncovered when the teenager confessed at his blog. Information Week reports, “the distributor of the release has been removed as a source for the automated news service.”
I covered a Search Engine Watch thread named Press Release Spam back in May of 2005. Some of the press release distributors seem to be getting better. But as more and more press release distribution companies get into the business, it becomes a bigger and bigger issue for news search.
More about:
The Merkle B2B 2023 Superpowers Index outlines what drives competitive advantage within the business culture and subcultures that are critical to success. It is the indispensable guide for B2B marketers to deliver world-class experiences and keep pace with the dynamic environment. Download Now
The ClicData survey found that various challenges exist that prevent organizations from achieving such gains. These challenges included inaccessible data formats and limited flexibility in displaying data in dashboards. Download Now
The need for fraud prevention in the digital world is critical now more than ever. Why? Thinking about your own behavior, consider how you complete transactions and how this has changed over the last 5 years. Download Now
The need for fraud prevention in the digital world is critical now more than ever. Why? Thinking about your own behavior, consider how you complete transactions and how this has changed over the last 5 years. Download Now