...and it is a crying shame.

 

For the past week I've been reaching out to contacts, in the Black media, attempting to get some substantive coverage of the adverse impact Google has on Black businesses.  Now my rolodex is not particularly deep, so it has been tough going.  

 

Sure mainstream media has been all over this issue, but Black media has been largely silent and they are effected has much as anyone.  The vast majority of Black newspaper websites don't get enough traffic pay anyone's salary -- which is astonishing given they are tremendous content producers.

 

I'm also concerned that this lack of coverage is resulting in a great deal of ignorance, in the Black community, that is hampering the success of some of our businesses -- which effects us all.

 

I recently tried to find one article critical of Google on Black Enterprise's website.  All I found was positive articles that read like Google press releases like the article, "GOOGLE STEPS UP FOR FLINT."  The 2016 even included this line; 

 

The Black Googler Network, which is one of Google’s largest employee resource groups with 12 branches worldwide, is also working with the foundation on the project and will help raise funds and provide support.

 

This line might give one the impression that Google actually hires Black people.  The number of Black employes is dismal at best.  This fact is widely reported by mainstream media...

 

Why won't Black Enterprise help their readers understand the how to deal with the problems Google is causing web based businesses and developing strategies to deal with it?

 

All I can assume is that Black Entroise is beholden to Google for some eason, and if that is the case we are in more trouble than you can image, for Black Enterprise is arguably the most powerful voice for Black Entrepreneurs there is.  If Google owns them this is just going to be a tougher fight.

 

 

If Black Enterprise IS kissing up to Google.....I can't blame them for it.

It's a power move.

Having Google as an ally is arguably far more important that having Facebook or Amazon as one.....because Google reaches far more people.
Google also has deeper ties to various governments around the world, so a fall out with them would also bring BE unwanted political liabilities.

As they say, "don't hate the player hate the game." Out of curiosity I ran a query on Facebook and on Amazon.  It was pretty more more of the same warmed over press releases. but there was one "article" from 2012, "IS FACEBOOK MAKING YOU POOR?"  In it was the following statement.

 

"...two professors found that the bigger a person’s social network was, the higher their mass body index was as well as their credit card debt load. The loss of self-control leads to over-shopping and over-eating."

 

There was no additional insight, no nuance as it relates to Black people.  Indeed all of the articles I've read on Black Enterprises website are like articles from many websites just a repeat of something someone else has written without adding anything new.

 

We need a publication that actually speaks to Black enterprise and entrepreneurship.  But I image that magazine would struggle for both advertisers and subscribers,