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After cutting off traffic to independent media organizations last October, Google has done it again. At the end of January, Google once again imposed an embargo on traffic from its Google News and Google Discover tools, dealing a heavy blow to the economic sustainability of independent media.

Another Google Blow to Independent Media!
Photo: DepoPhotos

The traffic embargo, which particularly affected independent media outlets last October, has resurfaced. Many news websites are once again facing severe traffic losses, with the issue re-emerging in the last week of January.

In October, the problem led to an immediate traffic drop of 60-80% for many independent news platforms. In response, media organizations united to send an open letter to Google, expressing displeasure and asking for information about the cause of the problem in question. However, Google failed to provide a clear explanation and information about the source of the problem. Towards the end of November, traffic flow began to be restored, although not to the same levels as before.

ANOTHER EMBARGO FROM GOOGLE

The problem reappeared in the last week of January. birgun.net's traffic from Google Explore and Google News tools has lost more than 90 percent since 23 January. The impact of this loss on the total traffic of our website is more than 50 percent.

According to BirGün, the situation is no different for many independent media organisations, and the problem continues.

WHAT IS CAUSING THE TRAFFIC LOSS?

Initially, it was suspected that last October’s traffic loss was due to Google’s algorithm updates. However, this time, the decline occurred without any recent algorithm changes. This suggests that the issue is not a result of a standard update or technical glitch but rather a deliberate intervention by Google in its Discover and News tools.

GOOGLE OFFERS NO EXPLANATION

On the other hand, since October, Google has offered no satisfactory explanation for these and similar question marks. While the problem threatens both the content production processes and the economic sustainability of independent media organisations, Google has refrained from establishing a direct and ongoing dialogue with the organisations.

The fact that the traffic losses occurred at a time when digital copyright laws were being implemented in Turkey raises many questions, while Google preferred not to respond to BirGün's questions on the issue.

THE EXISTENCE OF INDEPENDENT MEDIA IS UNDER THREAT

The traffic losses experienced by independent media organisations as a result of the government-designed media structure in Turkey result in different voices being ignored in the digital space. During discussions on the issue in October, many experts said that Google's unexplained practice threatens the economic sustainability of media organisations.

Source: Bağımsız medyaya bir Google darbesi daha!