LOS ANGELES (YBH.ME) – If you type in the word “Michelle Obama” on Google and choose “images” instead of web results, you get the following photo in position number one for Michelle Obama:
Offensive image used to attract web visitors
Google is running an ad above the image that says “Sometimes our search results can be offensive. We agree. Read more.” The ad clicks through to a page where Google clarifies its image and search policy:
Search engines are a reflection of the content and information that is available on the Internet. A site’s ranking in Google’s search results relies heavily on computer algorithms using thousands of factors to calculate a page’s relevance to a given query.
We at YBH! think the image is ridiculous. However, we don’t call for its removal because it is offensive. The page that hosts it uses the photo to draw in visitors; it’s a sales gimmick and attention-getter, it’s working. There was an ad for Obama fave J. Crew on the page when we clicked through. It is not a right wing anti-Obama website, just a page full of ads looking for traffic.
We must commend Google for not banning the page simply because they disagree with its content.
Google themselves sums it up best:
We apologize if you’ve had an upsetting experience using Google. We hope you understand our position regarding offensive results.
Yes. It is called free speech, we get it and applaud you for it.
Similar offensive images were common throughout the Bush years. Mr. Bush was often portrayed as a chimp or a certain German leader of the 20th century. The bottom line is that with the advent of Photoshop, no one is immune to being modified.
The site itself may get banned from Google for other reasons. For example, Google may find out that the website somehow “spammed” or used black-hat techniques to get so prominent a position for the much-searched term “Michelle Obama.” Google hates spam, and the company has a reputation for being merciless toward those that attempt to manipulate its search results.
A search of Microsoft’s Bing search engine’s image section turns up no controversial images of Ms. Obama. In fact Bing’s results look like they were taken directly from a Vogue magazine shoot.