Google is killing a section of desktop search that was a target

File: BN-RB411_fakebi_M_20161204153303[1].jpg (116KB, 1280x853px) Image search: [Google]

116KB, 1280x853px

http://www.businessinsider.com/google-replaced-in-the-news-in-desktop-search-2016-12
>In the wake of criticism over fake news on its platform, Google is removing its "In the news" section from the top of desktop search, and replacing it with a carousel of "Top stories," similar to what exists on mobile. ...
> The removal of the word "news" will, hopefully, help draw a sharper line between Google's human-vetted Google News product, and its main search product.

>Last month, Google faced scrutiny when one of its top results for “final election count” was fake news. The top result in Google Search's “In the news” section was a Wordpress blog named “70 News,” which falsely claimed Trump won the popular vote by a margin of almost 700,000. (He didn’t).
....
related:
http://www.wsj.com/articles/fake-news-sites-inadvertently-funded-by-big-brands-1481193004

>Well-known brands’ appearance on fake-news sites reflects the complexity of online advertising, where computers can place a different ad each time a user clicks on a webpage. Multiple middlemen are often involved, leaving both publishers and advertisers uncertain about which ads will appear where.

>“We don’t even get passed the name of the publisher” where an ad will appear, said Adam Berke, president of AdRoll Inc., which helps advertisers like LendingClub Corp. and Air New Zealand place ads online. He said AdRoll finds ad space on websites through several partners and doesn’t have the resources to vet websites.

>One of AdRoll’s partners is Alphabet Inc.’s Google, which along with Facebook Inc. announced steps last month to prevent fake-news sites from generating revenue through their ad-selling services.