How about this, more sinister, angle to the Murdoch-Microsoft deal?

[metapunditedgy]

Murdoch is tired of people fact-checking Fox News and his other propaganda outlets. A big part of the fact-checking depends on being able to search for content previously posted.

For example, suppose Hannity accuses Obama of X, Y, and Z. But a quick Google search shows a blog post by Hannity four years ago defending Bush on the same accounts.

Now Google is removed from the picture. If Google tries to poke around and catalog Murdoch content, it gets nothing. No-one can index Murdoch content except Microsoft and Murdoch itself.

Suddenly, the Murdoch empire can write it's own past. Hypocrisy is impossible, as yesterday's content keeps adapting to meet today's spin. (Sound Orwellian?)

[gateley]

1. What's the Murdoch-Microsoft deal?

I must have missed it, just give me a quick explanation (don't make me Google!)

Even though I don't know what it is, I'd sure buy your angle. Murdoch would do what it took to write his own past...

[metapunditedgy]

4. lots of news about it...

Here's something from the top of my google list

http://www.dailyfinance.com/2009/11/23/microsoft-murdoch-talk-team-up-to-freeze-google-out-of-online-n/

[gateley]

8. Thanks! nt

[HowHasItComeToThis]

14. MURDOCK'S FASCISM IS A THREAT TO THE WORLD

[glinda]

2. No. Sounds like their plan actually.

[Initech]

9. Yup. Fux's motto isn't "we report you decide"

It's "You will think exactly as you are told to think. Facts? Who needs 'em! Stalin said thatif you repeat the same lie over and over it becomes fact. We take that literally here at Fux."

[orwell]

3. There are too many sources for information...

...your theory is not plausible.

The M&M deal is pretty straightforward. Microsoft will do anything to screw Google, even lie down with dogs.

It won't work however.

Bing sucks by the way...

[metapunditedgy]

5. If Murdoch media isn't google-indexed,

are you saying it will still be possible to search them using anything but Bing? I don't see why that's the case.

[orwell]

6. I am saying that...

...there are too many outlets for information and too many informational redundancies.

For example, WSJ has an effective paywall now. When I click on a link to WSJ and they ask for money, I just go somewhere else for "the news."

Too many people cover the same stories.

Salon tried this initially. It was a failure. They now use the "day pass" model, which is ad driven.

[Uncle Joe]

11. I believe in this case the issue of other sources is secondary to Murdoch's way of thinking.

The issue of using FOX's own words and video against them is what gets under his skin.

[anigbrowl]

12. other people can still link to it and be indexed

For example, if there's a DU thread like 'Fox news reports falsehood' with a link to the Fox website, that is indexed in Google, as is everything on Media Matters and so on. If fox were aiming to pre-emptively remove everything unfavorable from search results, it would be simpler, easier and more effective to simply remove it from their own website in the first place, something over which they have more direct control than a search index, even one run by a partner.

[jberryhill]

16. It's called Nexis

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LexisNexis

[metapunditedgy]

18. Isn't Lexis/Nexis for professionals?

How many bloggers can afford a subscription? (Or has it changed?)

[Greyhound]

7. K&R

[Uncle Joe]

10. I do believe that's Murdoch's prime motivation.

Fact checking other sources is one thing but having the actual clip of FOX "News" spouting their continual one sided, misleading and often error laden propaganda for all posterity to view is another.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a moving picture must be worth a million and I believe this public trail is what Murdoch's control freak personality truly hates.

Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, metapunditedgy.

[Echo In Light]

13. Corporate consolidation. Early 90s there were 40-some parent media corps globally - now it's like 5

A 'streamlining' of the various 'messages' is invariable, and intended.

[fascisthunter]

15. Proof, Murdoch and his propaganda has no validity at all

so much so, he needs to sheild his business of promoting fascism, from any criticism. Another phony coward with money and power. If he and his ideology were so right, he could stand all the criticism, but he's weak and so is his philosophy.

[jberryhill]

17. Nexis indexes it all

...and is more reliable.

Yes, it is a paid service, but all news organizations have it.