Whenever someone has their Google AdWords ads pulled, the person trying to direct the blame at Google instead of looking at their ad content to determine why it was denied usually follows.
Here recently, a number of outlets have tried to accuse Google of having a political bias for the Democratic Party, and have tried to use Google’s decision to pull or deny certain ads as proof of their claim.
Such was the case with Candice Jackson, author of “Their Lives: The Women Targeted by the Clinton Machine.” Jackson issued a press release claiming Google had a political bias because they denied her using certain banner ads that targeted Bill and Hillary Clinton in an effort to promote her anti-Hillary Clinton book. Jackson then went on a tangent in an effort to prove her position. Although, when her claims were investigated (Tom DeLay/Nancy Pelosi), many turned up as misleading.
However, it appears as if her defensive posture may have been premature. According to DMNews.com, a spokesperson for Google indicated that only some of Jackson’s submitted ads were denied and that the approved ads are still running. The article also contained a quote from Google spokesman Mike Mayzel, who clarified the search engine’s position:
“These decisions are based on our policies, not political views. We have routinely accepted and rejected ads for materials that are for or against a wide variety of public views.”
Danny Sullivan weighed in on the situation as well. When he conducted a search of “Google+Search”>Hillary Clinton,” the first text ad takes those who click on it to an Amazon page where Jackson’s book receives the top listing.
After the various discoveries countering her claim, I’m curious if Jackson’s position remains the same.
Chris Richardson is a search engine writer and editor for Murdok. Visit Murdok for the latest search news.
