I literally just googled the term: NEWS
That is what came up.
Now the above screen shot is from January 27, 2025. I often go to Google for news (thus the purple Google News section.) But I (almost) never go to Al Jazeera.
This is how I currently consume the news.
On my phone:
Stop # 1 - Drudge Report
Stop # 2 - CNN
Stop # 3 - ESPN
At work on my desktop:
Stop # 1 - Google News
At home on my laptop:
Stop # 1 - MSN News
Stop # 2 - WhatFinger
But I've been noticing more and more Al Jazeera stories coming up at Google. What's wrong with that? I have long lamented that corporate media outlets like Rolling Stone and CNN PAY to be found at Google.
Now you may counter that it's not paying to be at the top of the searches, it's because those are the biggest and most reputable names. Uh, Rolling Stone? They're about as accurate as the Daily Mail, with more partisan leanings.
What reinforces my theory of Google's 'pay to play' policy is Al Jazeera. If I don't go there, but they keep ending up at the top of the search engine, how do you THINK they got there.
Let's try a few more searches with stories from the Eastern Hemisphere.
First Google Search: GAZA
Then I hit News Section:
Wow, that was fast.
Literally one second for the casual news consumer.
What if I was a Right-Wing American zealot. I would want to know about Gaza from TheBlaze's perspective? Gaza the Blaze
Hmm. Al Jazeera English comes up. Not TheBlaze.
Let's try a different term.
Let's try: Israel
Listen, I'm not some sort of magician. I cannot make Al Jazeera come up at the top of the Google searches.
Google: Al Jazeera
The first 5 or 6 pages are all Al Jazeera Content. Your argument is "that's how a search engine should work."
Okay, then let's google: Beacon of Speech
I go there every single day.
The first entry is our homepage.
The second entry is from a pitch we made 7 years ago that I didn't even know I hadn't erased.
The third entry is religious content.
We have over 1,300 Blog entries and over 100 YouTube videos, but what comes up is unrelated gospel content? Just to repeat, Beacon of Speech May Be Being Censored.
But I digress.
Who do you trust for Ukraine War News?
Obviously, Al Jazeera.
Vladimir Putin?
Arab News? What's that? Apparently the Saudi Arabian version....of Al Jazeera. Relaunched in 2018, Arab News is owned by Saudi Arabia's prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Hmm. How did a 6-year-old news agency rise to the top of Google's Search engine so quickly?
Speaking of Mohammed bin Salman, let's google that guy:
Shockingly, the billionaire's own paper gravitates right to the top of the list.
Speaking of billionaires, if you google Jeff Bezos, you would think that his newspaper would come right up? Uh, no.
The Atlanta Black Star?
Mansion Global?
Marca?
If I didn't know better, I would think that Google was manipulating their searches to embarrass Bezos.
Listen, I can do this all day long. What I ask from you is to try it. If you don't actively visit Al Jazeera, but have a favorite news site, do this experiment at home. Again, all screen shots are FIRST PAGE SCREEN SHOTS.
Google Executives already know your results.
My simple question to Google would be: Is Al Jazeera a good representative news agency for Americans?
Apparently, it is if Al Jazeera pays them to be.
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