Google backs off when big money sidles by...

Recently, Google has taken what appears to be a distinctly less transparent and open approach to their news distribution search engine. Matthew Lee maintains a small blog/website called <a href="http://www.innercitypress.com/">http://www.innercitypress.com/</a&gt; and has a reputation for hounding the UN - specifically the UNDP about what he considers corruption. Recently though, google announced a partnership with the UNDP and here is what happened next:

(it seems that) "<i>... someone at the UNDP had pressured Google into "de-listing" him from Google News — essentially preventing Inner City Press from being classified on Google News as a legitimate news source and from having its stories pop up when someone conducts a Google News search.</i>"
So Google (whose main motto has always been "<b>do good</b>") seems to have folded under the [probably immense] pressure from the powers that be at the UNDP to effectively silence this noisy critic of that organization. The full story can be found on the Fox News website here: <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,331106,00.html&quot; target="_blank">http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,331106,00.html</a&gt;

This is a scary development - especially when you consider that Google had for several years been happy to capture hits for Mr. Lee's website freely. Now "all of a sudden" it seems that Google feels the need to censor Mr. Lee. Very suspect given Googles announcement here regarding the UNDP alliance. See the full text of the press release here:
Excerpt from 1 November, 2007 <a href="http://www.google.com/intl/en/press/annc/mdg_20071101.html&quot; target="_blank">Google Press Release</a>:
<div><h1>The UN, Google and Cisco Unveil Online Resource in the Fight to Decrease Global Poverty</h1></p>
<p><strong>MDG Monitor Tracks Progress to Development Goals</strong></p>

<p><em><strong>United Nations, 1 November</strong></em> -- The United Nations, Google and Cisco today unveiled a pioneering online site that tracks progress towards decreasing global poverty by 2015, a global campaign known as the Millennium Development Goals, or MDGs.</p>

<p>UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon launched the project, called <em>MDG Monitor</em>, and highlighted the urgent need to increase global cooperation. The site is available at <a href="http://www.mdgmonitor.org&quot; target="_blank">www.mdgmonitor.org</a>.</p></div&gt;
End Excerpt.