There's a report out there that says Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 movie is being kept down by, of all organizations, Google. My favorite search engine, and a company that I admire.
This article - "Review of Michael Moore Movie Fahrenheit 9/11" - claims that the Google results for Moore's film are being intentionally manipulated so that negative reviews are higher ranked.
I'm not sure I buy it. Can't it be that more anti-Moore websites are playing and winning the Google game? Google rankings factor in the number of times OTHER sites link to a particular address. We already know the media powerhouses were against the release of the film, and actively tried to block it.
I was bitching about this to my brother Tommy, who pointed out that in a (supposedly, for now) free society, the media magnates are free to block distribution of a film they don't like. They're just using their freedom in a way I don't like. I, on the other hand, and the millions who DID want to see the film, am free to pressure any corporations to show the film, or start my own media corporation.
He's right about that. I can publicize my views in this website, and although the government, the FBI, and such could try to shut me up, it'd be a lot of trouble for them, and they'd be going against the law.
So, if the mainstream media are parroting anti-Moore propaganda, and they have more outlets, doesn't it stand to reason that they'd outrank in Google, since Google ranking is based on popularity?
I'm not convinced I know enough to make a good judgment though, so I'd love to hear your take on this.
