Ever FTP’ed a news analysis? Transfer this to Financial Times Piffle file: “Growing Google searches for the right balance.”
FT reported Google withdrew a bid for DoubleClick in 2005 “amid concerns” that cookies conflicted with “Don’t Be Evil” credo. Deal-busting cookies? Does FT really believe Larry & Sergey looked in a mirror and saw the reflection of Dr. Evil?
Unnamed FT sources (Deep Search 1 & Deep Search 2, natch) offered conflicting testimony:
“However, another person familiar with (Google’s) internal deliberations says that, while some executives expressed strong reservations about the impact on privacy, this was not the main reason the deal was called off.”
What’s worse, FT buried the “minority opinion” in the virtual black box of a grey sidebar.
We still don’t know whether BrinPage scotched playing DARTs under the glare of spotlight tags. The FT cop-out (misleading lede?) may leave a bad taste in readers’ mouths. In a prescriptive news”paper” analysis, ambiguity can be a bitter pill to swallow.
The smart money: Cookies crumble real deal?
Don’t Be E-tarded.