Google News is planning to introduce a new feature that would invite the subjects of news articles to comment on the stories.

The Google News blog states that the long-term goal is for all participants to be able to send in their comments, which will be published in full, and without edits. They will be marked as “comments” so readers know to differentiate between the actual report and what the subjects of the report have to say about it.

“As always, Google News will direct readers to the professionally-written articles and news sources our algorithms have determined are relevant for a topic. From bloggers to mainstream journalists, the journalists who help create the news we read every day occupy a critical place in the information age. But we're hoping that by adding this feature, we can help enhance the news experience for readers, testing the hypothesis that - whether they're penguin researchers or presidential candidates - a personal view can sometimes add a whole new dimension to the story,” the Google News blog states.

The initial trial will begin only in the United States, “and then, based on how things go, we'll expand it to other languages and editions,” according to the blog.

Writing for the Guardian Unlimited, media journalist Jemima Kiss states that although she thinks Google's latest feature is a “fascinating idea” and hopes it works, there is an obvious down side.

“How many of those comments will be nauseating PRs for corporations who struggle with the concept that journalists are not simply an extension of their PR machine? They won't, I suspect, be adding very much to the picture,” Kiss writes.

“It adds a whole new layer to the issue of comments around straight news stories, as opposed to comments around opinion pieces - generally regarded as a more comfortable fit. No doubt the objective is some far more wily and lucrative plan to build traffic, and therefore revenues, in some roundabout form. Too clever by half.”