Murdoch concedes defeat in Google battle
Australian media mogul Rupert Murdoch has conceded defeat in a long running and bitter battle with Google, over fears that his newspapers are haemorrhaging readers as they do not appear in the search engines rankings.
Murdoch initially instructed News Corporation to withdraw articles from its staple of quality papers; such as The Times, from appearing in the listings after branding the internet giant as a ‘parasite’ and ‘content kleptomaniac’.
The u-turn is believed to have been brought about by financial imperatives brought about by a diminished online presence and the corresponding downward tug on advertising revenues – rather than any change of heart at the top.
For readers the measure means that they will soon be able to access some content from these papers online, a significant watering down of the paywall fortress erected around News Corps properties since 2010.