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Baidu the Fetching Dog

In a July 30 cartoon, artist Xu Jun (徐骏) lampoons the Baidu search engine service for its alleged acceptance of payment to doctor search results. The cartoon points specifically to the prevalence and prominence of ads for quack medicines on the site. A report from China Central Television in 2008 exposed Baidu’s acceptance of money […]

In a July 30 cartoon, artist Xu Jun (徐骏) lampoons the Baidu search engine service for its alleged acceptance of payment to doctor search results. The cartoon points specifically to the prevalence and prominence of ads for quack medicines on the site. A report from China Central Television in 2008 exposed Baidu’s acceptance of money from Chinese pharmaceutical companies to feature them more prominently in web searches. In Xu’s cartoon, a man labeled “Fake Medicine Website” shouts, “My search results go to the top for the right price!”, as he throws a Chinese yuan sign out for the Baidu dog to go fetch.

David Bandurski

CMP Director

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