Is Google helping PR get even?

Google launches a new way of commenting on stories, but who will really benefit is in question

Google recently announced that it was putting a new twist on the practice of commenting on stories that people read about in the news media. Google News will now allow people or organizations that were discussed in a news article to post unedited follow-up comments attached to these stories.

“Our long-term vision is that any participant will be able to send in their comments, and we’ll show them next to the articles about the story,” said a posting on the Google News blog. Comments will be published in full, without any edits, but marked as comments so readers know it’s the individual’s perspective, rather than part of a journalist’s report.

Is Google News giving a PR advantage to corporations?

One of the first companies that used the feature was McDonald’s, after Google News ran several news stories about a Stanford University study showing that preschool children picked food in McDonald’s wrappers over any other type of packaging. Walk Riker, the VP of communications for the company, added his own comments about McDonald’s and its commitment to helping kids make healthy food choices.