Headline RoundupJune 18th, 2020

Google Bans Site Over Comments Section, Denies NBC Report About Separate Ban

Google, Google Bias, NBC, Free Speech, Race And Racism, Online Censorship, Media Bias

Summary from the AllSides News Team

Google banned news website Zero Hedge from using its popular Google Ads platform due to policy violations and alleged racism in the site's comments section, but denied an NBC News report that it also banned news website The Federalist for similar reasons. NBC updated its report after Google's statement, saying the tech company had "backtracked" on its earlier decision. The story has been covered prominently by right-rated media outlets, with fewer coverage from left- and center-rated sources. Some right-rated voices and politicians are critical of Google's allegedly unjust crackdowns on free speech; other voices are concentrating more on NBC's supposed efforts to damage The Federalist's credibility, which the site's co-founders accused the network of in an op-ed published Wednesday on The Wall Street Journal's opinion page.

Featured Coverage of this Story

From the Right

NBC Tries to Cancel a Conservative Website

Wall Street Journal (Opinion)

See rating details

Wall Street Journal (Opinion)

Opinion

NBC News attempted this week to use the power of Google to cancel our publication, the Federalist. The effort failed, but it should serve as a warning about the unchecked power of big tech companies, particularly when they can be manipulated by partisans, including partisan journalists.

On Monday we received a request for comment through our general media email account from NBC reporter Adele-Momoko Fraser. The message asserted that Google had demonetized our site—preventing us from earning money through Google ads—for violating its rules.

On Tuesday, NBC published an article...

Open on Wall Street Journal (Opinion)

Possible Paywall

From the Left

Google Ads bans Zero Hedge for racist content, but reverses decision on The Federalist

The Verge

See rating details

The Verge

News

Google says it’s banning the site Zero Hedge from its Google Ads program for racist content — but it reversed plans to ban a second site, The Federalist, after the site removed comments from its articles. “We have strict publisher policies that govern the content ads can run on and explicitly prohibit derogatory content that promotes hatred, intolerance, violence or discrimination based on race from monetizing,” the company said in a statement to NBC News before the reversal. “When a page or site violates our policies, we take action. In...

Open on The Verge

From the Right

Ted Cruz Calls out Google Action as "Orwellian"

Newsmax (News)

See rating details

Newsmax (News)

News

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, says any move by Google to cut off ad revenue to The Federalist and Zero Hedge websites is “Orwellian.”

Cruz made his comments on Thursday’s “Fox & Friends.”

NBC News reported that Google has banned Zero Hedge, a libertarian website, over policy violations found in the comments section of stories about Black Lives Matter protests. The news network also said Google had issued a warning to The Federalist over comments on articles related to recent protests.

A Google spokesperson had first said it had demonetized both...

Open on Newsmax (News)

Possible Paywall

More headline roundups

Common Ground on Media Bias