An inside look at Google's news-ranking algorithm

A patent application filed by Google last year provides a detailed look at some of the metrics the company considers when ranking news stories and deciding how prominently to display them on its Google News page.

The application, filed in February 2012 and published last July, seeks to build on a patent Google was issued in 2009 titled "Systems and Methods for Improving the Ranking of News Articles." The 2012 patent application offers details on more than a dozen separate metrics the company uses to rank news stories created by other Websites. How Google evaluates stories has been a point of contention with various media companies who have in the past said the company is infringing on their work. Many have also complained that Google can effectively turn on or off a spigot of visitors to a Web site by prominently displaying, or downplaying, a story. Google's decisions also affect what stories readers see, potentially shaping their view of news events.