Google files for news ranking patent

Lisa Baertlein

SAN FRANCISCO: Web search leader Google Inc. has applied for U.S. and international patents on technology to rank stories on its news site based on the quality of the news source, according to patent applications.

Google's search engine now automatically scours some 4,500 news sources and highlights stories, typically by popularity and timeliness, although Google does not disclose full details of its ranking system.

A Google spokesman confirmed that the company has applied for the patents but declined further comment regarding whether the company will use or is already using the technology.

As Web logs and other commentary sites proliferate, postings from some have received prominent play within search result pages and on online news-gathering sites. Sometimes, such postings have carried biased or inaccurate claims.

The technology Google is attempting to patent may help the company choose the most reliable information sources, although some Web commentators have said it will create a bias toward mainstream news sources.

Google filed its U.S. patent application in September 2003 and it is in line for review by patent examiners. It covers "systems and methods for improving the ranking of news articles" based on the "quality" of the news source.

According to that patent application, factors determining such rankings would include: the amount of important coverage produced by an identified news source; a human opinion of that source; network traffic to the source; circulation statistics; staff size; breadth of coverage; and the number of bureaus the news source operates.

Google's related international patent application published in late March under the Patent Cooperation Treaty and was first reported in New Scientist magazine this week.

"It sounded to me like it would be useful not just for news but for search results as well," said Topix.net Chief Executive Rich Skrenta, who had not reviewed the patent applications.