Opposing war makes
And then ... Google apologizes, reinstates ad
The first email from Google:
Thank you for advertising with Google AdWords. Our goal is to help you create high-impact advertising that reaches your target audience and maximizes your investment.
After reviewing your account, I have found that one or more of your ads or keywords does not meet our guidelines. These results are outlined in the report below.
In order to ensure your ad's success and relevance, our AdWords Specialists review each ad and keyword for compliance with our Editorial Guidelines. We disable keywords and temporarily suspend ads that don't meet our guidelines.
If a keyword has been disabled, your ad(s) will no longer be displayed for searches on this keyword. If an ad has been suspended, please edit it based on our suggestions below. Save your changes to automatically resubmit it for review. To log in to your account, please go to: https://adwords.google.com/ select/
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Campaign: 'Campaign #1,' Ad Group: 'Ad Group #1'
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AD TEXT:
Who would Jesus bomb?
anti-war bumper stickers
from Unknown News
www.unknownnews.net/
Action taken: Suspended - Pending Revision
Issue(s): Unacceptable Content
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SUGGESTIONS:
-> Content: At this time, Google policy does not permit the advertisement of websites that contain "language that advocates against an individual, group, or organization". As noted in our advertising terms and conditions, we reserve the right to exercise editorial discretion when it comes to the advertising we accept on our site.
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Read below for definitions of the issues we discovered:
Unacceptable Content: Google believes strongly in freedom of expression and therefore offers broad access to content across the web without censoring search results. Please note that the decisions we make concerning advertising in no way affect the search results we deliver.
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We're confident these changes will improve the performance of your ads and increase the return on your investment. For more information on performance tips and ad requirements, please see:
Optimize your ads:
https://adwords.google.com/ select/ tips.html
The AdWords Editorial Guidelines:
https://adwords.google.com/ select/ guidelines.html
Please feel free to email us at adwords-support@google.com if you have any further questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
?? Based on your note, I have no idea what you're talking about or what you're objecting to. Are you seriously suggesting that our bumper stickers or website "advocates against an individual, group, or organization"?
I've never heard anything (except from Google itself) to suggest "Google believes strongly in freedom of expression." I'd love to believe it, and maybe you'll show me that it's true. I have heard accounts involving strange, petty, or simply bizarre Google policies and pronouncements — kinda like this one — that would suggest the opposite.
I hope you'll explain the problem with something other than a clearly non-applicable form letter. If so, I'll try my darndest to understand. If not, please ring up the $7.85 in charges incurred for this ad and we shan't bother you again.
Cordially,
The second email from Google:
Hello,
Thank you for your email. I see that your ad has been disapproved for content that is 'Hate/Anti.'
Google AdWords does not allow the advertisement of sites that promote hate, violence, racial intolerance, or advocate against any individual, group, or organization. Ad text, site content, or keywords should not be hate/anti related.
We will allow analytical arguments to run advertisements, however, these arguments must not be emotional arguments. They must show both sides of the argument even if they support one side more heavily.
Please edit your ad text and site accordingly. We appreciate your cooperation and participation with AdWords. We would like to offer any support we can to help you continue running on Google.
Please feel free to email us at adwords-support@google.com if you have additional questions or concerns.
Thanks again for your message. We look forward to providing you with the most effective advertising available.
To access your AdWords account, please log in at: https://adwords.google.com
Sincerely,
Kenji The Google AdWords Team
Kenji,
May I quietly ask: Have you visited our website?
If so, could you point to the parts that promote hate, violence, racial intolerance, or advocate against any individual, group, or organization? There's none of that here.
We are "anti" war. We "advocate against" killing thousands of Iraqis in the next few days.
Is that what's not allowed to be said? Or is it OK to oppose a war, but not with "emotional arguments"?
If I understand your position: Google will take our money and run our ad, but only after we "edit" our site, only after we present arguments we oppose — arguments that do "promote hate, violence, racial intolerance, or advocate against any individual, group, or organization" unlucky enough to be in Baghdad.
Cordially, I cannot in good conscience do business with a company that would ask us to do that.
The third email from Google:
Thank you for your email. I have discussed the content of your site along with other team members and see that you are offering interesting articles and services that are discussed with a shade of humor.
If you would like for your ad to be reviewed once more for approval, I would like to suggest that you remove references to 'Who would Jesus Bomb?' from your site and your ad text as it may be potentially offensive to some religious communities. We appreciate your effort to advertise on Google. Please know that we will work with you to gain the exposure your site deserves. Thank you for your patience throughout this process.
Please feel free to email us at adwords-support@google.com if you have additional questions or concerns.
Thanks again for your message. We look forward to providing you with the most effective advertising available.
To access your AdWords account, please log in at: https://adwords.google.com
Sincerely,
The Google AdWords Team
First you said Google wouldn't sell ads to sites that "promote hate, violence, racial intolerance, or advocate against any individual, group, or organization," and I wondered what that had to do with our peace-and-freedomesque site.
Now it's the bumper sticker you object to, and — lemme get this straight — if we'll just remove all reference to the bumper sticker from our ad and from our website, you'll let us buy an ad for the bumper sticker?
How do we sell stickers if you won't let us mention them???
"Google believes strongly in freedom of expression," your first email said. In subsequent notes, though, you're worried that our ad, our website, and our bumper stickers "may be potentially offensive to some religious communities."
Freedom of expression is always "potentially offensive."
But we've been selling "Who would Jesus bomb?" stickers for a month and a half (mostly to Christians, judging by customers' comments) and nobody's yet told us they're offended. The Christians we know are generally intelligent and thoughtful, and whether they agree or disagree with our position, they recognize that the question is apropos when a predominantly Christian nation goes to war.
We strongly believe in freedom of expression, so your repeated suggestions for how we should change our ad, alter our bumper stickers, or edit our website to Google's satisfaction are just silly. Freedom of expression means we decide what appears at unknownnews.net, and what our bumper stickers and ads will say.
It also means, of course, that Google decides what appears at google.com. If you think it's offensive to ask Christians about Christ, you have the right to refuse our $7.85.
There's a war on, and it's already been condemned by the Pope, but Google won't allow us to ask what the deity would do. Wow... I think it's bonkers to say you believe strongly in freedom of expression, but I will defend to the death Google's right to be bonkers.
I say this with a smile, as I'm really too busy to be angry: If Google will take our money and run our ad, please do so. If you won't then don't.
But if you seriously imagine we'll rework any or all of our message to please Google, you're mistaken. We're not changing squat. We're going to do what we've been doing for five years: We're going to say what we want to say, for an audience of open-minded adults who really do believe in freedom of expression.
Cordially,
The 4th email from Google:
Thank you for your email and your strong, clear arguments. As mentioned in our previous email, we do strongly believe in the freedom of expression. I have discussed your site and your ad with other team members after reading through much of your site and it has been determined that the slogan, 'Who Would Jesus Bomb?,' is used in a way and supported in a way that would not be offensive to others. In addition, you are running on relevant keywords. We sincerely apologize for the miscommunication during our recent dialogue. I hope that you can accept our apologies. Please know that I have approved your advertisement to run on Google. Please contact me if you have any further problems or concerns with your advertisement.
Thank you for your patience throughout this process.
Sincerely,
The Google AdWords Team
Apologies cheerfully accepted, and all is forgiven with no grudge. Thanks for reinstating our ad.
While the matter has your attention, though, I’d like to add a quick closing comment: Please, remember what happened here.
It's not about us, and never was. We just run an amateur news and commentary website, and sell bumper stickers to try to make ends meet (which they never do). Being "disallowed" by Google was only a minor inconvenience for us.
For a lot of people, though, it would be a much bigger problem. And it has implications that seem worrisome.
Certainly, Google needs to screen out ads for child pornographers and hired assassins and so forth. I just hope Google's ad screeners are encouraged to have a very
When more and more people are allowed more and more freedom to express themselves, that's a good thing — even if someone somewhere is offended, as someone somewhere inevitably will be.
Freedom is what I love about America, and about the internet, and I hope Google always stands for freedom.
Thanks for your open-mindedness in this matter,
And — peace,
Go to the top of this page.
If you don't want to read Google's rather dry, businesslike emails, here's the edited version, for readers in a hurry:
For a few days, this tiny ad appeared whenever anyone searched for "peace stickers" or "anti-war stickers" from Google's homepage:
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Then someone from Google visited our site and decided that our opposition to attacking Iraq was based on "emotional arguments."
According to Google, this means Unknown News is a "Hate/Anti" site, which they define as "sites that promote hate, violence, racial intolerance, or advocate against any individual, group, or organization."
Google doesn't sell ads to hate sites, so they dropped our ad.
If you're new here, let's state the obvious: Unknown News hates hate, violence, and racial intolerance. There's none of that here. We are "anti" hate — that's why we're "anti" war. We "advocate against" killing thousands of Iraqis.
When we explained this to Google, they said they would reinstate our ad
Of course, we will not do this. We have always published opposing viewpoints on our dialogue page, but we publish what we choose, not what Google tells us to publish.
When we explained this to Google, they replied that an ad for our 'Who would Jesus bomb?' bumper sticker would be OK after all
Of course, we will not do this, because the question is important and apropos, and because we believe in freedom of speech. And also, because it's hard to sell a bumper sticker if you're not allowed to mention it.
We were pretty sure you'd never see a little ad for our anti-war stickers on Google.
But then, Google surprised us. They apologized and reinstated our ad.
Thank you, Google, and handshakes all around.
Since we had their attention, we left them with a few words we hope they'll remember, as we're still troubled by the implications...
But for now, the matter is settled to our satisfaction.
Our sincere thanks to the several people who wrote Google to suggest that their stand could stand reconsidering.
The bumper stickers cost $3, or two for $5, post-paid anywhere. You can get twenty of 'em for $40. All proceeds help keep this website going. Selling one sticker keeps us on-line for about ten hours. Click here if you'd like to order one.
the proprietors, Unknown News
Wondering what Unknown News is all about?
We believe in liberty and justice for all, so of course, we oppose many US government policies.
We present a daily round-up of "unknown news" from credible sources, along with intelligent (we try!) commentary and dialogue on current events.
Unlike CNN and your daily newspaper, Unknown News is not "fair and impartial, objective journalism," because we'll never pretend not to care. We are deeply concerned about fading freedoms in America, and US foreign policy that exports death instead of liberty.
If you're concerned too, we'd love to say howdy and showyou around.
Go to the top of this page.