Google has launched a subscription service for news content. Called Subscribe, it offers bundled access to participating publications and centralizes payment using Google's existing payments system. It's part of a wider Google News Initiative. I would imagine that Subscribe will replace Google News, or at the very least, show up as a premium service, effetcively converting Google News into advertising for its Subscribe service. The success of a service like Subscribe will depend a lot on the credibility of its content, but in turn, this means that Google has no incentive (and hasn't had an incentive all along) to ensure that its free services are in any way credible. The rise of fake news is essentially marketing for subscription-based news.
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