How often does a blog or website get itself defunded by Google? Has anyone out there even heard of a site being defunded by Google? So many sites use AdSense to generate a little more revenue, and many of them post forthright views. But while they keep on posting, the AdSense adverts keep on appearing. Except for one manifestation of the Wall Of Gammon™ which has found itself summarily cut off.
Politicalite, a site that peddles far-right conspiracist rubbish, promoting such luminaries as Carl “Sargon” Benjamin, Raheem “call me Ray” Kassam, and, inevitably, Stephen Yaxley Lennon, who styles himself Tommy Robinson, has achieved what all those thousands of other sites have not: it’s got itself defunded by Google.
This was its own fault. There was no outside interference; this was nothing more than a Google decision; it was theirs alone. Not that you would know that from the bleating that has emanated from Politicalite as a result. “WEB Giant Google has DEFUNDED Politicalite.com, suspending our display advertising services, meaning we have currently lost 70% of our income we rely on to operate” is their opening shot. And there is more.
“Google sent an email this week to say there was an issue with an article that violated Google’s AdSense Policy, the article was related to Marine Le Pen, we took the article offline and removed similar articles that Google said ‘violated’ their Policy, to try to restore ad-serving”. But restoration came there none. So the paranoia started.
“The next day, Google refused to restore the ad displays, the original decision came just hours after a Politico article that revealed Number 10 was ‘worried’ about populist news sites ‘Pro-Brexit, anti-Islam, right-wing populist’ agenda, the article mentioned [Politicalite]”. Was it Number 10? Who knows? And, indeed, who cares?
It got worse. “Number 10’s press office is monitoring whats [sic] read online … In a sinister twist, Number Ten has employed officials to ‘tackle what No. 10 sees as a rising risk, to the government politically and to the country as a whole’ … was it simply a coincidence that Google would cut our advertising just HOURS after Politico’s article”. Tinfoil hat activated!
The paranoia deepened. “We have been attacked in the past by Russia Today, The Press Gazette, then BuzzFeed last month and now Politico - there is an active campaign to stop sites like ours”. Someone took the piss out of their lame copy. But there is yet more.
“Sources have told Politicalite that Google has been ‘lobbied’ by Number 10 to stop our advertising - in an attempt to shut us down, just right before Christmas too!” Could the paranoia get even worse? As if you need to ask. “Politicalite founder and Editor Jordan James said … we live in a country where if you have the wrong political views, right-wing ideas, and too many eyes of people, the government will destroy your business so you can’t make any income”. Google is a US company. It is not the Government.
Seriously, Politicalite people, you broke the Google T&Cs. That is all. It’s no use whining “We are able to pay for the server that hosts Politicalite until February – after that, we don’t know what we will do”. Try getting a job like real working class people, eh?
Behold the paranoia of the Wall Of Gammon. Try getting out more, chaps.
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"Google......is not the Government."
ReplyDeleteGiven Operation Mockingbird - are you absolutely non-paranoid sure of that...?
Just asking.