BBC Buys Google News Keywords In Kelly Case

foreign devil writes "BBC has purchased keywords related to coverage of the Hutton Inquiry in an attempt to direct all traffic to their special news coverage. This would be only moderately interesting, except the BBC is complicit in the death of Dr. Kelly and the 'sexing up' of the Iraq dossier. The article in the Guardian says this is coming out of the GBP 63.5m ad budget. I wonder how much it would cost them if someone, say, automated searching for those links on Google." It doesn't seem fair to pronounce the BBC complicit in Kelly's death (unless that's proven by the facts of the case), but it's certainly an interested party.

Comments

Bah

[The-Bus]

The BBC is a giant entity, they can't magically coordinate all this... I'm sure somewhere in their halls there isn't a dogmatic poster proclaiming:

1. Sex-up Iraq dossier
2. ???
3. Profit!

With #2 circled and 'GOOGLE ADWORDS' scribbled next to it.

Re:Bah

[Cipster]

Yes but you can't argue with their amazing hard work and determination when it comes to investigative journalism. I mean finding an attractive British female for every issue is simply astounding.

from the fair-and-balanced dept.

[Anonymous Coward]

The fair and balanced dept seems to be shrinking these days.

AdWords

[Anonymous Coward]

All your Dr. Kelly are belong to us. - BBC

You know what'd be great?

[rasafras]

BBC should track the referrers. If the person comes from Google, instead of displaying a news page, they should display a giant banner proclaiming

"You are the victim of a shameless advertising experiment.
Footnote: We are not liable for any self-inflicted damage after reading this page"

Unfair and imbalanced

[r_j_prahad]

I once tried watching the news on BBC America and Fox News in the same evening but it made my head implode.

If they get any further apart they're going to meet.

Re:BBC integrity? WHHAAAAAA!

[dont_think_twice]

It puts every fact - when issued by the Blair govt - in quotes, to make it look suspicious

Yea, that really bothers me too. Things like Saddams WMDs. I wish they had just reported as fact that Saddam had WMDs, like we did here in the US. It is totally rediculous that a news agency would question the government.

Re:BBC integrity? WHHAAAAAA!

[MadCow42]

>> palestinians who blow themselves (and innocent babies) are "freedom fighters

well, anyone that blows themselves is pretty flexible to say the least... and not likely to ever leave their own home. So, I doubt they'd be very effective freedom fighters.

As for blowing innocent babies... that'll get you 25 to life here in America. :)

MadCow

Right.

[aardvarkjoe]

It doesn't seem fair to pronounce the BBC complicit in Kelly's death (unless that's proven by the facts of the case)

Yeah, I'd hate for slashdot to become known as a place where people make false claims and jump to unjustified conclusions.

Re:No kidding

[Aardpig]

The Guardian hates the BBC, and they along with Rupert Murdoch have been trying to get the British government to shut down the BBCs great website, so that more people go to their services.

Fuck me, I never thought I'd see The Guardian and Rupert Murdoch mentioned in the same breath. 'Scuse me while I look outside and check whether the guy driving the snow-plough (East-coast ice storm at the 'mo) is wearing a red leotard and pointy horns.

In other news...

[rock_climbing_guy]

SCO has bought the google keywords "litigous bastards" and linked them to the Free Software Foundation.

The source for this "News" was The Sun, people!!!

[ozric99]

The Sun!

Nothing I could possibly say could compete with Yes Prime Minister's rather brilliant and oft-quoted commentary.

PM {Responding to Sir Humphry}: "Don't tell me about the press. I know exactly who reads the papers.
The Daily Mirror is read by people who think they run the country.
The Guardian is run by people who think they ought to run the country.
The Times is read by people who actually do run the country.
The Daily Mail is read by the wives of the people who run the country.
The Financial Times is read by people who own the country.
The Morning Star is read by people who think the country ought to be run by another country.
The Daily Telegraph is read by people who think it is run by another country."

Sir Humphry: "Prime Minister, what about the Sun?"
Bernard: "The Sun readers don't care who runs the country as long as she's got big tits."

Re:The source for this "News" was The Sun, people!

[R.Caley]

> The Times is read by people who actually do run the country.

That's the pre-Murdoch Times, of course.

Still true. The Sun-With-No-Tits is now read by those who run the country because they need toknow what Rupert wants them to do.