Could Google News be sued for libel?

The way Google News selects photos and matches them with stories could expose the site to a libel suit, as this example from Friday night shows:

Click for full image

Any casual reader of Google News is likely to read the headline — "Gynecologist accused of molesting dozens of women in Washington..." — and assume that the photo is of the gynecologist, who is being sued for allegedly performing unnecessary and painful surgeries, molesting women and in some cases raping them in the examination room.

But it's actually a photo of Ottawa Sun columnist Greg Weston, whose column was promoted halfway down the wire story page Google slurped and has nothing to do with the gynecologist article or the accusations.

Would Weston have a strong libel case against Google? He might.

Sooner or later someone is bound to sue Google News for a mistake like this.

Jun 05, 2004 | E-MAIL | SAVE | PRINT | PERMALINK