Right On The Right

Google is a multi-billion dollar company that millions of people use on a daily basis. Google products such as Google Maps and of course their signature search engine, are used widely. You'd figure a company like Google would try to avoid political controversy as to not isolate part of their consumer base. You'd be wrong.

On the advice of a friend, I decided to try out a new feature called iGoogle. It's effectively another RSS reader slash interactive homepage builder. I plugged in my preferences, essentially saying that I'm a news and politics junkie, which I am. It generated a decent looking page, so I clicked on the politics tab. It has several feeds on their default page, including news outlets CNN, MSNBC, and the Washington Post. FOX News and center-right newspapers were notably omitted. Only one blog is featured, as you can see in the screenshot to the right...

Do I have a problem with Daily Kos being the only blog featured by default? Absolutely. I know I can just click the small x and remove it, and I could easily add my site, Malkin, or any other Conservative blog. The point is though, users clicking onto iGoogle unfamiliar with the blogsophere would be immediately dumped into the nutroots, just because Google picked it for them. It's bad enough the idiots at NPR are featured...