Google Grapple

Microsoft has been in talks with News Corp over a possible move to de-index its news websites from Google. This would offer a “ray of light” to the beleaguered newspaper industry which is struggling to turn profit now that news is available free online. “The impetus for the discussions came from News Corp, owner of newspapers ranging from the Wall Street Journal of the US to The Sun of the UK, said a person familiar with the situation, who warned that talks were at an early stage,” writes The Financial Times. “However, the Financial Times has learnt that Microsoft has also approached other big online publishers to persuade them to remove their sites from Google’s search engine. News Corp and Microsoft, which owns the rival Bing search engine, declined to comment.”