Newspaper publishers are airing a new round of protests over Google News indexing their content for free, reports ZDNet.

Publishers feel that because Google links to, and provides brief snapshots of, their news content, the search engine is capitalizing on the journalistic efforts of the original sources.

Google contends that it is not wrong to highlight headlines alongside story snippets and link back to the source. In fact, the search giant contends, it is helping papers gain readership they  wouldn't otherwise have.

To reinforce their argument, publishers look to court rulings in Europe, and paid content deals Google developed with AP and Agence France-Presse, as indications that Google can (and should) pay for content.

Analysts say newspapers should look at anyone driving traffic to their sites as friends.

No advertising currently appears on Google News.