When the results for a particular search query change, a person that has set up a Google alert for that particular search query is notified by email.
Riesman had a Google alert set up for his own name so that in case anyone spammed the search engine results he would know. He also wanted to know when people talk about him. Google did not fail him. He was notified immediately after KHOU, a Texas news station, wrote about an ex-police officer from Houston that raped a waitress in the back of his police car and was then sentenced to life.
The name of the former cop is Abraham Joseph. But Abraham Joseph and Abe Riesman have more than just their first name Abraham in common. Abe Riesman twitter handle is AbrahamJoseph. The TV station justified that it always puts a widget with Twitter news next to every story.
Even though this might seem like a pure accident it just goes to show that automated news coverage can’t always be accurate.
