You're telling Google what you want, not letting code decide
En una era donde los algoritmos de inteligencia artificial determinan qué información llega primero a nuestros ojos, Google ha introducido una herramienta que devuelve al lector una parte del control perdido: la posibilidad de marcar fuentes de confianza para que aparezcan con prioridad en los resultados de búsqueda. Es una respuesta modesta pero significativa a una tensión más profunda —la que existe entre la eficiencia automatizada y la necesidad humana de información verificada y elegida conscientemente.
- Los resúmenes generados por inteligencia artificial que encabezan los resultados de Google pueden contener errores y citar fuentes no verificadas, según documentó el New York Times.
- Millones de lectores reciben cada día noticias seleccionadas por un algoritmo que prioriza el engagement sobre la calidad periodística, enterrando las fuentes que realmente importan.
- Google lanzó la función de 'fuentes preferidas', que permite a los usuarios indicar qué medios deben tener prioridad en Search, Google Discover y Google News.
- Configurar esta preferencia toma menos de un minuto: basta con seguir un medio desde el menú de tres puntos en Discover o marcar una estrella en Google News.
- Los usuarios también pueden bloquear publicaciones no deseadas, entrenando al algoritmo con señales tanto positivas como negativas para construir un entorno informativo verdaderamente propio.
El algoritmo de noticias de Google se ha convertido en un laberinto. Los resúmenes generados por inteligencia artificial que aparecen en la cima de los resultados de búsqueda pueden contener errores o citar fuentes no verificadas —un problema documentado por el New York Times— y el constante reordenamiento algorítmico entierra con frecuencia el periodismo que más importa bajo contenido que el sistema decidió que deberías ver. Elegir de dónde viene tu información se ha vuelto más crítico que nunca.
Para responder a esto, Google introdujo la función de fuentes preferidas: una forma de indicarle al sistema qué medios merecen prioridad en tus resultados de búsqueda, en Google Discover y en Google News. El proceso es directo. En Google Discover —el feed que aparece en la app de Google o al abrir una nueva pestaña en Chrome desde el móvil— basta con encontrar un artículo del medio de tu preferencia, tocar los tres puntos verticales en la esquina inferior derecha y seleccionar 'Seguir' o 'Mostrar más contenido de este sitio'. El algoritmo comienza a aprender desde ese momento.
En Google News el mecanismo es similar: busca el medio en news.google.com o en la app, accede a su página principal y toca el ícono de estrella. El medio quedará en tu sección 'Siguiendo' y recibirá prioridad en tu feed personalizado.
El mismo menú que permite seguir una fuente también permite bloquearla por completo. Si hay un medio cuyo contenido no deseas ver, puedes seleccionar 'No mostrar contenido de este sitio'. El algoritmo aprende tanto de lo que eliges como de lo que rechazas. Juntas, ambas señales construyen un entorno informativo que responde a tus decisiones, no a las del código.
Google's news algorithm has become a maze. Between the AI-generated summaries that now crown search results and the constant algorithmic reshuffling underneath, the stories that actually matter to you keep getting buried under content the algorithm decided you should see instead. It's a problem that affects millions of readers every day—and it has a solution that takes less than sixty seconds to implement.
The core issue is straightforward. Google's summaries, generated by artificial intelligence, sometimes contain errors or pull from sources that haven't been properly verified. A study by the New York Times documented this problem: those AI summaries sitting at the top of your search results can include inaccurate information or cite unreliable publishers. When that's what greets you first, choosing where your news actually comes from becomes more critical than it's ever been. You can't rely on the algorithm to make that choice for you anymore.
Google recently introduced a feature called preferred sources. It's simple in concept but powerful in practice: you mark specific news outlets as sources you trust, and Google's algorithm responds by giving those outlets priority placement in your search results, in Google Discover, and across Google News. It's a way of telling the system what you want to read, rather than letting code decide for you.
The fastest way to set this up is direct. You can click a link, check a box next to El Mostrador, and you're done. That's the entire process. But if you prefer to train the algorithm through your regular browsing habits, Google Discover offers another path. When you're scrolling through your feed on the Google app or opening a new Chrome tab on your phone, you're in Google Discover. Find any article from El Mostrador, tap the three vertical dots in the lower right corner of the card, and select either "Follow" or "Show more from El Mostrador." From that point forward, the algorithm begins learning that this is the kind of content you want to see.
Google News works similarly. Search for El Mostrador in the search bar at news.google.com or in the Google News app, click the main result with the outlet's logo, and tap the star icon in the upper right corner. Once you've starred it, El Mostrador will appear in your "Following" section and receive priority in your personalized feed.
But control over what enters your feed matters just as much as choosing what you want to read. That same three-dot menu that lets you follow a source also lets you block one entirely. If there's a publisher whose content you don't want to see, you can select "Don't show content from this site." The algorithm learns from both signals—what you're choosing to follow and what you're actively rejecting. Together, they shape a news environment that's actually yours.
Citações Notáveis
A New York Times study found that AI-generated summaries can include inaccurate information or cite unreliable publishers— New York Times research cited in the article
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why does Google's algorithm struggle so much with news in the first place?
Because the algorithm is built to maximize engagement, not accuracy. It doesn't understand journalism the way a human editor does. It just sees patterns in what people click on.
And the AI summaries—are they actually making things worse?
They can be. The New York Times found that these summaries sometimes pull from sources that haven't been fact-checked. You get a plausible-sounding answer at the top of your search, but it might be built on shaky ground.
So marking preferred sources is basically a way to override the algorithm?
Exactly. You're saying to Google: "I've done the thinking about what's trustworthy. Use that." It's you taking back control.
Does it actually work, or is it just a band-aid?
It works, but only if you use it. The algorithm will learn from it. But you have to actively tell it what matters to you. Google won't figure it out on its own.
And blocking sites—that's equally important?
Maybe more so. You're not just building a positive signal; you're removing noise. Over time, that shapes everything you see.