So, I don't typically use Google news, but I have the last few days due to our readings. My most recent check startled me. The lead story features the Clemens dog and pony show, which is no real surprise given the vast coverage elsewhere.
However, Google News leads with the MLB.com story.
Now, the sports leagues are one of the very few legalized monopolies in the US. It's an enormous benefit that Congress provides on cultural and semi-historic grounds. Congress completely controls these designations, and there's no real likelihood that the monoploies would ever be broken.
However, that MLB.com is a recognized news source bugs me. That a monopoly is the featured story about a Congressional review of that monopoly terrifies me. Remember that no person(s) is/are making this choice. This could just as easily happen for a story with more important implications. More than that, if a story is about an organization, it seems more likely to be the top article. Thus disinformation might actually be favored in news self-reporting news organizations.
Worth a deeper look to see what's up. It's an issue of both the time principle of Google and the method of selection discussed in the two readings. Self-reporters will have an advantage of being more instantly in the know and other sources will refer more to them.
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