Don’t be evil, Google: Effects of Google’s Digital News Initiative on Media Coverage in Switzerland

Google forms the backbone of the digital economy. Recently, the tech company has been criticized for its market power, especially in the media business. The main controversy revolves around Google’s media funding in the form of payments to publishers. It is suspected that Google could control the production and distribution processes of media. Despite investigations, we still do not understand whether and how Google abuses its influence on media. My thesis aims to address this issue and help investigate the possible effects of Google’s funding on media. I examine an extensive dataset consisting of articles from German-language media in Switzerland. Using a state-of-the-art sentiment analysis, I measure whether Google’s Digital News Initiative payments positively or negatively influence coverage of Google. My results found a positive correlation between positive coverage and the Digital News Initiative funding paid out. My thesis demonstrated for the first time how Google’s potential influence on media might operate