Media

Water district uses public money to game Google

The obscurely powerful Central Basin Municipal Water District is in the news again — in more ways than one. An L.A. Times story details how the agency has paid nearly $200,000 for fake news stories on a fake news website so that when you type the name of the agency in Google, the search results all appear to be positive news coverage. It raises questions about the agency's use of taxpayer money, of course, but also about how Google classifies sites it labels news.


More by Kevin Roderick:
Gustavo Arellano, many others join LA Times staff
Power out Monday across Malibu
Put Jamal Khashoggi Square outside the Saudi consulate on Sawtelle
Here's who the LA Times has newly hired*
LA Observed Notes: Clippers hire big-time writer, unfunny Emmys, editor memo at the Times and more
Recent Media stories on LA Observed:
Gustavo Arellano, many others join LA Times staff
Here's who the LA Times has newly hired*
LA Observed Notes: Clippers hire big-time writer, unfunny Emmys, editor memo at the Times and more
New seasons of SoCal Connected, Lost LA on KCET
LA Observed Notes: Media notes, homeless ruling, scooters and lion cubs
LA Observed Notes: Times hiring binge, LA Weekly investor sues, media tidbits
LA Observed Notes: Editor moves, NYT steps on JGold turf, jobs and more
Jonathan Gold, LA's preeminent food writer, has died at 57


 

LA Observed on Twitter