WSJ editor: Google is an Internet parasite

Robert Thomson, the editor of the Wall Street Journal has come forward and warned that companies that aggregate "mainstream media content" without paying are the "parasites or tech tapeworms in the intestines of the Internet." Without elaborating, he warned that these companies will soon "be challenged."

Thomson was scathing in his criticism that readers have been led to wrongly believe that content should be free, pointing out how aggregators like Google have profited from that mistaken perception. He noted, "Google argues they drive traffic to sites, but the whole Google sensibility is inimical to traditional brand loyalty."

On one hand, it is easy to dismiss traditional newspapers around the world as trumpeting an outdated business approach. However, the truth is that a typical journalist on a full-time salary has a quota of just 3-5 stories per week. This is due to the lengthy amount of time required to properly research and conduct interviews.

On the other hand, Google does not create an iota of content, yet it garners billions of dollars in advertising revenue that content providers can only dream of. When seen in this light, something is definitely wrong with this picture. Indeed, if all the newspapers are to fail, then the quality of news can only deteriorate. 

For more on this story:
- check out this article at The Australian

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