Comments from Sources Sought

Google News last week added a ‘new, experimental feature’: displaying comments from people or organizations who were part of a published story.

Google has said it wants to ‘enhance the news experience for readers, testing the hypothesis that -- whether they're penguin researchers or presidential candidates-- a personal view can sometimes add a whole new dimension to the story.’

Comments will be published in full, without any edits, but they will be identified so it is clear to readers that they are separate from the journalist’s report.

The new feature is currently available only in the United States, though Google has said that ‘based on how things go, we'll work to expand it to other languages and editions.’

More details, as well as links to initial reactions to the announcement, are available from the Google News Blog.