Removing Journalism from Google Is Not Neutral—It Undermines Trust, Credibility, and Long-Term Value

FehrAdvice Responds to Google News Removal Test: Study Finds Journalism Is a Strategic Trust Asset, Not Just a Cost

Google’s recent real-world test of removing journalistic content from its platforms may have yielded minimal short-term revenue loss—but a parallel independent study by Swiss research firm FehrAdvice points to a more profound strategic risk: the EROSION OF USER TRUST when news content is no longer provided by the platform.

Google’s own experiment across eight European countries (Spain, Italy, Poland, Denmark, Netherlands, Belgium, Greece, and Croatia) showed an immediate drop in engagement after removing news content:

* Search daily active users (DAUs) fell by 0.77%
* Discover DAUs dropped by 5.47%

While Google focused its analysis on direct, short-term behavioral and revenue shifts, it did not ask a more crucial question: WHY DO USERS DISENGAGE WHEN JOURNALISM DISAPPEARS?

FEHRADVICE’S BEHAVIORAL STUDY PROVIDES THE ANSWER

“Removing journalistic content doesn’t just strip away information—it erodes trust,” says the FehrAdvice research team.

FehrAdvice & Partners Austria
Alexis Johann
Telefon: +43 676871970254
E-Mail: alexis.johann@fehradvice.com

OTS-ORIGINALTEXT PRESSEAUSSENDUNG UNTER AUSSCHLIESSLICHER INHALTLICHER VERANTWORTUNG DES AUSSENDERS. www.ots.at
© Copyright APA-OTS Originaltext-Service GmbH und der jeweilige Aussender