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Google Refuses to Remove Crude Image of Michelle Obama
Despite protests, Google is refusing to remove a crudely altered photo of Michelle Obama that often comes up first in Google Image searches, the Los Angeles Times reports. The search giant said that while it in no way endorsed the image, which depicts Michelle Obama with monkey-like features, it had no legal reason to remove it.
"It's offensive to many people, but that alone is not a reason to remove it from our search index," Google Inc. spokesman Scott Rubin said Tuesday. "We have, in general, a bias toward free speech."
The image originally appeared on a blog called "Hot Girls," where it was posted without comment. Google placed a warning above the image, labeling it an "offensive search result." Clicking on the link leads to a disclaimer stating that Google does not endorse the views expressed by such images.
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"It's offensive to many people, but that alone is not a reason to remove it from our search index," Google Inc. spokesman Scott Rubin said Tuesday. "We have, in general, a bias toward free speech."
The image originally appeared on a blog called "Hot Girls," where it was posted without comment. Google placed a warning above the image, labeling it an "offensive search result." Clicking on the link leads to a disclaimer stating that Google does not endorse the views expressed by such images.
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David Sessions
David Sessions is a journalist based in New York who covers politics, religion, and the arts. He is the founding editor of patrolmag.com. ...moreRelated Articles
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Comments (52)
chadclay720
10:12AM Nov 25th 2009
Funny, I don't recall David Sessions being upset when it's anybody else.....Maybe he should try getting over his bias, and go back to being a high school newspaper reporter.
RATE THIS COMMENT:
(30)
(30) 
splishdripper
11:44AM Nov 25th 2009
REMEMBER THE GOOD OLD DAYS WHEN MEMBERS OF THE SO CALLED "PRESS" WERE THE ONES CONCERNED WITH "FREEDOM OF THE PRESS"?
RATE THIS COMMENT: (23)
(23) Stella
2:16PM Nov 25th 2009
Good one, Wade. I'm still laughing!
RATE THIS COMMENT:
(1)
(1) Teriek W
10:13AM Nov 25th 2009
That's fair. If you type George W. Bush on Google Images, there are several crude and satirical images of him particularly in comparison to Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush or Ronald Reagan.
RATE THIS COMMENT: (34)
(34) Ed
11:15AM Nov 25th 2009
I'd have to agree with you on that. I just googled Michelle Obama and I didn't see anything worse than a rather dorky looking yearbook picture of Michelle sporting an Afro. Almost all yearbook pictures look dorky after a few years and many of them look dorky even when the yearbook is delivered to the students.
RATE THIS COMMENT: (14)
(14) cjjanis
9:27AM Nov 26th 2009
Look at the names you listed? They are all Presidents not first wives. We all know if this was Nancy Reagan or Laura Bush there would be a up roar over it also.
RATE THIS COMMENT: (-2)
(-2) uub140
10:16AM Nov 25th 2009
Google should issue an immediate apology. That said, Mrs. Obama attracts negative attention - not just from racist crazies - but from people of every political persuation, religion, and race including African Americans.
RATE THIS COMMENT: (-21)
(-21) Cooper
11:17AM Nov 25th 2009
I agree with everything you say except that Google should apologize. Why should Google apologize? They didn't post the picture. If anyone should apologize - and I'm not saying that anyone should because I haven't even seen the picture (don't need to) - it's the person who photo-shopped it and posted it. But, hey, it's sort of still a free country. If that person wants to create racist, silly pictures of the president's wife, it's his perogative. Neither he nor Google owes anyone an apology.
Google is simply a search engine. Holding Google accountable for anything you find offensive is like saying the card catalog at the library should be removed because it tells you where to find Catcher in the Rye. (OK - I know nobody in here under 35 even knows what a card catalog is, but I'm not sure what they call the computerized version in libraries now. . . !)
Google is simply a search engine. Holding Google accountable for anything you find offensive is like saying the card catalog at the library should be removed because it tells you where to find Catcher in the Rye. (OK - I know nobody in here under 35 even knows what a card catalog is, but I'm not sure what they call the computerized version in libraries now. . . !)
RATE THIS COMMENT: (12)
(12) Gary
9:20AM Nov 26th 2009
Get off of it. The rest of the public figures have this happening all the time to them. Stop reading black vs white into everything and move on. What you need to think about is not the woman but the man Obama and his leftist friends.
RATE THIS COMMENT: (4)
(4) garry402
10:24AM Nov 25th 2009
The photo reminds me of the movie "They Live" starring Roddy Piper, a former wrestler. In the movie, he gets a special pair of sunglasses and he can see these people that are actually aliens from outer space that have come to take over the world. The picture of Michelle reminds me of one of those aliens. Maybe she really is an alien here to take over the world.
RATE THIS COMMENT: (21)
(21) Chip Crawford
11:07AM Nov 25th 2009
It might be protected free speech, but it's still racism.
RATE THIS COMMENT: (-22)
(-22) beckjr2000
10:55AM Nov 25th 2009
Personally, I'm no fan of the Obamas or their politics. I do believe that this image was in very poor taste. Poor taste appears to be the only thing that is bi-partisan today. Let's debate and argue about what effects our nation and it's citizens.
RATE THIS COMMENT: (4)
(4) rthompson1329
10:57AM Nov 25th 2009
that's life as a celebrity, there are numerous offensive images she is one of many....she's not special or untouchable
RATE THIS COMMENT: (20)
(20) divine1
11:09AM Nov 25th 2009
"Let's debate and argue about what effects our nation and it's citizens."
We are. We're discussing our most treasured freedom and right, Free Speech.
We are. We're discussing our most treasured freedom and right, Free Speech.
RATE THIS COMMENT: (15)
(15) Tawny Jones
11:15AM Nov 25th 2009
Crude image? How? It looks just like her.
RATE THIS COMMENT: (20)
(20) sonnype
11:19AM Nov 25th 2009
Google kisses the Chinese asses but cries freedom of speech when asked to remove offensive material in this country
RATE THIS COMMENT: (-8)
(-8) damn_llama
11:35AM Nov 25th 2009
You are an idiot. Google has to play ball with the Chinese because they want to have a presence in a country with over 1 Billion people. They cry freedom of speech when asked to remove it because WE HAVE FREEDOM OF SPEECH!!! China does not, they censor the hell out of everything, so Google has to follow those laws, or else be blocked entirely.
RATE THIS COMMENT: (8)
(8) oxbow99
11:26AM Nov 25th 2009
The woman does have "ape-like" features. Though apes are more likely to be proud of their country. I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder. My eyes are'nt seeing any.
RATE THIS COMMENT: (15)
(15) libslie0066
11:47AM Nov 25th 2009
The Government refuses to correct the information they have on their OMB website showing jobs created and saved. It has been proven to contain information that is a gross overstatement of the truth by the New York Times, and they refuse to correct it. So, why should Google not refuse to take of the picture of Michelle?
RATE THIS COMMENT: (6)
(6) rickskbc2112
5:06PM Nov 25th 2009
Um correct me if I'm wrong but simple math says that if unemployment is going up there is a net loss of jobs overall. Where do they imagine thier numbers from. Democrats are amazing.
RATE THIS COMMENT: (4)
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