谷歌擬對Google News做重大調整

Google is considering significant changes to its controversial Google News service to aid publishers that have been struggling to make money in the online world, according to one of the company’s senior executives in Europe.

谷歌(Google)一名駐歐洲高管表示，谷歌正考慮對其飽受爭議的谷歌新聞(Google News)業務做出重大調整，以服務於一直無法通過線上業務賺錢的出版業。

The comments, made in an interview with the Financial Times by Carlo D’Asaro Biondo, head of strategic partnerships in Europe, came as Google and eight* European newspaper groups announced an alliance aimed at bolstering the digital skills and business model of publishers.

谷歌歐洲戰略合作主管卡洛•阿薩洛•比翁多(Carlo D’Asaro Biondo)在接受英國《金融時報》採訪時做出上述表態之際，谷歌與8家歐洲報紙集團宣佈了一項合作計劃，旨在幫助出版商提高數字技能和開發商業模式。

Known as the Digital News Initiative, it will include joint work on product development, assistance with digital training for newsrooms and 150m in grants to back digital projects over the next three years. The Financial Times is among the companies to join the initiative, along with the Guardian, Les Echos in France, El País in Spain and Die Zeit in Germany.

這項名爲“數字新聞計劃”(Digital News Initiative)的合作方案，將包括聯合開發產品、幫助新聞編輯室提供數字培訓，以及在未來三年提供1.5億歐元支持數字項目。英國《金融時報》加入了這項計劃，其他參與方包括《衛報》(Guardian)、法國的《回聲報》(Les Echos)、西班牙的《國家報》(El País)和德國的《時代週報》(Die Zeit)。

Asked if Google was prepared to change its own platforms to help the online news industry, rather than simply pushing publishers to become more digital, Mr D’Asaro Biondo said: “It’s both . . . I want to do better for the press, and I know we can do better for the press.”

在被問及谷歌是否準備改變自身平臺以幫助在線新聞業、而不是簡單地推動出版商提高數字化程度時，阿薩洛•比翁多表示：“兩方面我們都會做……我想給新聞業提供更好的服務，而且我知道我們能爲新聞業提供更好的服務。”

Google News has faced criticism from newspaper companies for years over accusations that it robs news sites of traffic and disadvantages those that build and run subscription services online. Last year, the company shut down its news site in Spain after a law came into effect requiring it to pay fees for carrying even small snippets of copyright content.

多年以來，谷歌新聞一直受到報界批評，後者指稱谷歌搶走了新聞網站的流量，讓那些設立並運營着網上訂閱服務的報社處於劣勢。去年生效的法律要求谷歌爲摘錄哪怕一點點版權內容而付費，之後谷歌關掉了設在西班牙的新聞網站。

Opposition from the news industry was also instrumental in the change in political climate that hit Google in Europe last year in the wake of revelations by Edward Snowden, a contractor for the National Security Agency, about US internet surveillance. The backlash included a formal antitrust complaint earlier this month from the European Commission.

去年，在美國國家安全局(NSA)合同工(Edward Snowden)合同工愛德華•斯諾登(Edward Snowden)披露美國對互聯網的監控情況之後，歐洲政治氣候的變化對谷歌造成了打擊。來自新聞業的批評意見也促成了對谷歌態度的轉變。歐盟委員會(European Commission)在本月早些時候對谷歌提起了一項正式的反壟斷訴訟。

Areas under discussion will include how to make Google News work better for sites that use online paywalls but have complained that the company’s advertising-based search business hurts them.

一些設立了“付費牆”的新聞網站抱怨，谷歌基於廣告的搜索業務損害到了它們的收費能力。業界討論的一個焦點就在於，如何讓谷歌新聞更好地爲這類網站服務。