BP buys Google, Yahoo search words to keep people away from real news on Gulf oil spill disaster

[proud2BlibKansan]

In their most tenacious effort to control the ‘spin’ on the worst oil spill disaster in the history, BP has purchased top internet search engine words so they can re-direct people away from real news on the Deepwater Horizon catastrophe.

BP spokesman Toby Odone confirmed to ABC News that the oil giant had in fact bought internet search terms. So now when someone searches the words ‘oil spill’, on the internet, the top link will re-direct them to BP’s official company website.

This would not be the first time that BP has tried to control information to protect the company’s public image.

Shortly after the Deepwater Horizon exploded on April 20, 2010, BP executives quickly underestimated the size of the disastrous oil spill. Some suggest they did it to avoid costly EPA per-gallon spill fines. The less oil spilled, the lower the fines.

A month into the spill, the public learned through independent science, that the spill was in fact a million gallon a day gusher. BP got caught in their own lie when the used a syphon pipe in one of the broken riser pipes and proudly proclaimed that they were capturing 5,000 barrels of oil a day. With the oil obviously still gushing, they had to up their spill rate to explain the reported discrepancy in their earlier estimates.

more . . . http://www.examiner.com/x-33986-Political-Spin-Examiner~y2010m6d6-BP-buys-Google-Yahoo-search-engine-words-to-keep-people-away-from-real-news-on-Gulf-oil-spill-disas

[Jim__]

1. That sheds a whole new light on the desire of corporations to control information.

And, of course, their ability to spend billions won't really have any effect on elections.

[Echo In Light]

2. K/R

[OKNancy]

3. totally misleading

It's kind of creepy that BP purchased an ADWORD... not "the word", but all it means is that it is highlighted and is the first selection listed.
Most people who search google know the difference in featured ads and the rest of the searches. It also has no effect when you search google news.

This article is the kind of hyperbole that is totally unnecessary.

[intheflow]

13. Exactly. Very misleading article. n/t

[FarCenter]

4. People who click on sponsored links are morons anyway

[DBoon]

6. Morons are numerous

convince the morons and you have won public opinion

[MineralMan]

5. Do you click on those "sponsored links?"

I don't. When I'm looking for information, I rarely start with sponsored links. In fact, I don't actually ever click on them.

Look down a couple of lines, and you'll find plenty of information. BP is wasting its money.

[OKNancy]

7. Thank you!

We seem to be agreeing a lot lately.

[MrScorpio]

8. "Oil Disaster" = No BP on top

I just checked

[mariawr]

9. I have been a lifelong AFT member!! Nice to see you are too. nt

[proud2BlibKansan]

12. Awesome!!

Will you be at the convention in July?

[elocs]

10. Posted here on Saturday:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8494090

[blindpig]

11. No doubt this will go in the ledger as 'spill mitigation'.

Kill Capitalism