Google confirmed a bug in the News tab that made quoted searches sorted by date return content from across the web rather than news. The announcement came from Google itself, with a fix dated, and the workaround takes two clicks.
Nightfall WardenQuotes should narrow the trail.
Footnote SphinxThe News gate leaked into the whole web.
Nightfall WardenThen fix it, and verify the dated route.
What Google announced, and when
Google SearchLiaison, the official Twitter account of Google’s public liaison of search, announced on Monday 29 November 2021 that Google News was experiencing problems.
The announcement said: We’ve identified a bug where searching with quotes while using the news tab and sorting by date would return content from across the web, not just news-related content. We’re releasing a fix for this tomorrow, so it should be resolved by Dec. 1 or a few days after.
Which searches broke
The bug hit a quoted search made in the News Search Tab with results ordered by date, and nothing else Google named.
That is the exact sequence a researcher uses to pin a story to a day, so users would have had to take some complex steps to search for news the way they did before.
How to sort Google News results by date
Click the Tools button, then select the “Sort by Date” link.
The problem with the bug is that most search users probably do not know how to search news by date in the first place, so a fault in that path is invisible to almost everyone it affects and decisive for the few who rely on it.
When it was expected to be fixed
Google said the fix was being released the next day and that the problem should be resolved by 1 December 2021 or a few days after.
Both halves of that are Google’s, including the hedge. The company gave a date and then widened it in the same sentence, which is worth reading as written rather than as a commitment.
Why a search bug is a marketing problem
A search surface that quietly returns the wrong kind of result is worse than one that returns nothing, because nobody checks a page of plausible answers.
That is also the argument for measuring your own visibility rather than trusting a tab. We have written about what Search Console reports and about the tools that track presence across search, both of which show a fault like this as a shape in the data.
Frequently asked questions
What was the Google News bug?
In Google’s own words, searching with quotes while using the news tab and sorting by date would return content from across the web, not just news-related content. The announcement came from Google SearchLiaison, the official account of Google’s public liaison of search.
Which searches were affected by the bug?
Only the combination Google named: a quoted search made in the news tab with results sorted by date. Those are the steps a researcher takes to pin a story to a day, which is why the fault landed on the people least able to work around it.
When did Google say the News bug would be fixed?
Google said it was releasing a fix the following day and that the problem should be resolved by 1 December 2021 or a few days after. The announcement was made on Monday 29 November 2021.
Who announced the Google News bug?
Google SearchLiaison, the official Twitter account of Google’s public liaison of search, on Monday 29 November 2021. The wording quoted here is that announcement rather than a third-party reconstruction.
How do you sort Google News results by date?
Click the Tools button and then select the Sort by Date link. It is two clicks, and it is the step most search users are unlikely to know exists.
Why did the bug matter to anyone doing research?
Because it broke the one query shape that makes the News tab precise. Users would have had to take some complex steps to search for news the way they did before, and the results returned were no longer restricted to news.
Global Wizards is a digital marketing company that works to boost small and medium businesses, and we keep our audience informed about the changes that move their numbers. If a change in search has moved yours, contact us.
