jatiN mahindrA doT coM

If you were reading the Google News front page early this morning or late last night, you may have seen a highlighted article with a news headline containing a four letter word. The article came from the Village Voice Blog, not the main news site, but the blog and was features on the Google News home page for a bit of time.

At least three people came to Google News Help Forums to complain.

Google’s Inbal replied to their concerns, explaining:

Thanks for bringing this inappropriate content to our attention. We’ll contact the Village Voice following your alert.

As you my know, Google News is highly unusual in that it offers a news service compiled solely by computer algorithms without human intervention. There are no human editors at Google selecting or grouping the headlines and pictures, and no individual decides which stories and images get top placement. This automation is what makes Google News a valuable source of information on the important issues of the day. We are always working to improve our service, and your feedback will help us in this process.

Now, if you even search for the full phrase in Google News, you won’t get that four letter word in the title anymore. It will show in the description. Here is a picture:

I am not sure how big a deal it is to have this word on a news site, but I am not sure.

Forum discussion at Google News Help Forums.

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