Google announced it has awarded its first round of grants to media outlets throughout North America from a pool of $300 million the internet giant has set aside to bolster largely left-leaning mainstream and legacy media organizations.
Google LLC says it wishes only to index objective facts and link to media outlets without putting its thumb on the scale, but conservative critics say the company is trying to shape the news. Left-of-center media receive prime placement in search results, while right-of-center media receive less favorable placement or are banned outright, critics say.
