Isabela Fraga

Oct 19, 2012 ∞

Brazilian newspapers leave Google News en masse

Carlos Fernando Lindenberg Neto, president of Brazil’s National Association of Newspapers, on his association’s withdraw from Google News:

Google News’ presence in the Brazilian market is small. We believe (the loss of traffic) is an acceptable price to protect our content and brands.

The linked article, by Isabela Fraga at the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas blog, offers good background on the issue.

I never go to Google News without clicking on at least three stories I wouldn’t have otherwise encountered. Maybe I’m the exception and not the rule. But if Google News’ presence is really that small, isn’t the potential or actual harm they claim necessarily small as well?

This decision looks petty and short-sighted, particularly in light of Newsweek's recent announcement.