FC: Google update: Scrutinizes antiwar ads, rejects sole-writer sites

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

[Two messages follow. --Declan]

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Date: Sun, 23 Mar 2003 15:43:01 -0500
From: Elizabeth Wright <editor () issues-views com>
Organization: Issues & Views
To: declan () well com
Subject: Google ad policies
References: <20030115094002.A8327 () cluebot com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit

Declan,

Did you  follow this little Google venture?  It seems that Google
refused to accept an ad from Unknown News for items expressing antiwar
sentiment. But, quite unexpectedly, changed its mind.

---------

http://www.unknownnews.net/google.html#saturday

Google refuses our ad
Opposing war makes Unknown News a hate site
And then ... Google apologizes, reinstates ad
Click or scroll down for the happy ending!
[Email from Google, 3/19/2003]

------------
Google's initial rejection:

Thank you for advertising with Google AdWords. Our goal is to help you
create high-impact advertising that reaches your target audience and
maximizes your investment.
After reviewing your account, I have found that one or more of your ads
or keywords does not meet our guidelines. These results are outlined in
the report below.
In order to ensure your ad's success and relevance, our AdWords
Specialists review each ad and keyword for compliance with our Editorial
Guidelines. We disable keywords and temporarily suspend ads that don't
meet our guidelines.
If a keyword has been disabled, your ad(s) will no longer be displayed
for searches on this keyword. If an ad has been suspended, please edit
it based on our suggestions below. Save your changes to automatically
resubmit it for review. To log in to your account, please go to:
https://adwords.google.com/ select/
----------------------------------------------

AD TEXT:
Who would Jesus bomb?
anti-war bumper stickers
from Unknown News
www.unknownnews.net/
Action taken: Suspended - Pending Revision
Issue(s): Unacceptable Content
~~~~~~~~~~
SUGGESTIONS:
-> Content: At this time, Google policy does not permit the
advertisement of websites that contain "language that advocates against
an individual, group, or organization". As noted in our advertising
terms and conditions, we reserve the right to exercise editorial
discretion when it comes to the advertising we accept on our site.
---------------------

Response to Google by Unknown News:

?? Based on your note, I have no idea what you're talking about or what
you're objecting to. Are you seriously suggesting that our bumper
stickers or website "advocates against an individual, group, or organization"?
I've never heard anything (except from Google itself) to suggest "Google
believes strongly in freedom of expression." I'd love to believe it, and
maybe you'll show me that it's true. I have heard accounts involving
strange, petty, or simply bizarre Google policies and pronouncements —
kinda like this one — that would suggest the opposite.
I hope you'll explain the problem with something other than a clearly
non-applicable form letter. If so, I'll try my darndest to understand.
If not, please ring up the $7.85 in charges incurred for this ad and we
shan't bother you again.
Cordially,
—H&HH
------------------------------------------------------------------------
And Unknown News also wrote directly to the person who signed the Google
rejection notice:

Kenji,
May I quietly ask: Have you visited our website?
If so, could you point to the parts that promote hate, violence, racial
intolerance, or advocate against any individual, group, or organization?
There's none of that here.
We are "anti" war. We "advocate against" killing thousands of Iraqis in
the next few days.
Is that what's not allowed to be said? Or is it OK to oppose a war, but
not with "emotional arguments"?
If I understand your position: Google will take our money and run our
ad, but only after we "edit" our site, only after we present arguments
we oppose — arguments that do "promote hate, violence, racial
intolerance, or advocate against any individual, group, or organization"
unlucky enough to be in Baghdad.
Cordially, I cannot in good conscience do business with a company that
would ask us to do that.
—H&HH
------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Email from Kenji at Google, 3/21/2003]

Thank you for your email. I have discussed the content of your site
along with other team members and see that you are offering interesting
articles and services that are discussed with a shade of humor.
If you would like for your ad to be reviewed once more for approval, I
would like to suggest that you remove references to 'Who would Jesus
Bomb?' from your site and your ad text as it may be potentially
offensive to some religious communities. We appreciate your effort to
advertise on Google. Please know that we will work with you to gain the
exposure your site deserves. Thank you for your patience throughout this 
process.
Please feel free to email us at adwords-support () google com if you have
additional questions or concerns.

----------------

Excerpt from Unknown News second reply:

. . . . Now it's the bumper sticker you object to, and — lemme get this
straight — if we'll just remove all reference to the bumper sticker from
our ad and from our website, you'll let us buy an ad for the bumper sticker?
How do we sell stickers if you won't let us mention them??? . . . . But
if you seriously imagine we'll rework any or all of our message to
please Google, you're mistaken. We're not changing squat. We're going to
do what we've been doing for five years: We're going to say what we want
to say, for an audience of open-minded adults who really do believe in
freedom of expression.

---------------------
Google's capitulation:

[Email from Kenji at Google, 3/22/2003]

Thank you for your email and your strong, clear arguments. As mentioned
in our previous email, we do strongly believe in the freedom of
expression. I have discussed your site and your ad with other team
members after reading through much of your site and it has been
determined that the slogan, 'Who Would Jesus Bomb?,' is used in a way
and supported in a way that would not be offensive to others. In
addition, you are running on relevant keywords. We sincerely apologize
for the miscommunication during our recent dialogue. I hope that you can
accept our apologies. Please know that I have approved your
advertisement to run on Google. Please contact me if you have any
further problems or concerns with your advertisement.
Thank you for your patience throughout this process.
Sincerely,
  —Kenji
The Google AdWords Team

------------

Apologies cheerfully accepted, and all is forgiven with no grudge.
Thanks for reinstating our ad.

-----------




---

Date: Fri, 21 Mar 2003 22:46:35 -0500
From: Chuck0 <chuck () mutualaid org>
To: Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>
Subject: Google News rejects Infoshop News; Indymedia and blogs next?

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [A-librarians] Google News rejects Infoshop News; Indymedia and 
blogs next?
Date: Fri, 21 Mar 2003 20:35:25 -0500
From: Chuck0 <chuck () mutualaid org>
Reply-To: Anarchist and Radical Librarians <a-librarians () lists mutualaid org>
To: infoshop-news () infoshop org, a-librarians () lists mutualaid org
CC: alaoif () ala1 ala org, lbo-talk () lists panix com



Google News rejects Infoshop News; Indymedia and blogs next?

from Chuck0
March 21, 2003

Several days ago I issued a call on Infoshop News for people to email 
Google News (http://news.google.com/), asking that this popular search 
service index Infoshop News like it was doing several months ago. One of 
Infoshop News' many readers and supporters sent Google News an email and 
got back a response which is listed below. It has become apparent that 
Google News is inventing excuses to not index popular alternative news 
websites, including Infoshop News. Google News may claim that they offer 
access to over 4500 sources of news, but their policy in regards to 
Infoshop News indicates that popular alternative news websites need not be 
indexed.

Shortly after Google announced their fancy news service that was trumpeted 
as being put together by fancy computer programs, I sent them an email 
asking that Infoshop New be included in their indexing. After they 
responded that they couldn't because of "technical reasons," I replied with 
an email explaining Infoshop News and even provided them with the RSS/RDF 
file for the website (this is an automated syndicated newsfeed updated 
three times daily.) Google News started indexing Infoshop News and I 
assumed that this was still happening until I conducted several test 
searches on Google News a few weeks ago.

It's not clear that the response from Google printed below represents 
official Google policy. If it does, it would mean that Indymedia, as well 
as many other news websites and blogs on the web would not be indexed. Not 
only would this again reinforce the media monopoly, but Google users would 
lose access to the exciting phenomenon of independent news publishing on 
the Internet.

If you take this rejection letter seriously, there are several problems 
with it. First of all, the articles on Infoshop News are not all produced 
by one person. Secondly, we don't have any paid staff, but we feature 
original content and content from mainstream and alternative news sources. 
And as many Infoshop News regulars know, I serve very much as a staff 
editor for Infoshop News.

If you suggest Infoshop News and independent news websites like Indymedia, 
please send an email of support to:
news-feedback () google com
If you are interested in signing a letter of support, if Google News 
continues their stubborness, please send me an email.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Thu, 20 Mar 2003 23:35:35 -0800 (PST)
From: daniel () wireforest com
To: chuck () mutualaid org, chuck0 () infoshop org
Subject: Responce from Google

A user has entered feedback on the site!
Their feedback is:

pasted below is the responce i received from google on my request for 
infoshop news to be included into google news.
+++++++

Subject:        Re: InfoShop News [#1882273]?   View Full Header
View Printable Version
View Message details
From:   news-feedback () google com?
Date:   Thu, March 20, 2003 6:50 pm?
To:     daniel () wireforest com?
Priority:       Normal?

Hello Daniel,

Thank you for your suggestion. We have reviewed http://www.infoshop.org
and we cannot include it at this
time. We are not accepting sites where all articles are produced by one
individual. We are looking for sources with current news written by a
staff of reporters and edited by a staff editor. We will log your
suggestion for future consideration should our constraints change.

Thank you for trying Google News and taking the time to write us.

Regards,
The Google Team

Original Message Follows:
------------------------
From: Subject: InfoShop News
Date: Wed, 19 Mar 2003 01:32:05 -0800 (PST)

I am writing to encourage your editoral team to include in  the new Google
news feature, (which I use quite frequently throughout the day) the news
reports and services of infoshop.org

This is an informative, reliable, current, and important voice to be added
and made available to your users. I think that Google users are a very
diverse, educated and informed group of people, and the addition of
INFOSHOP NEWS would be seen as a welcome and expansive improvement.

thank you for your attention on this.
Daniel

-- Daniel Abell - WireForest daniel () wireforest com




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