It’s worth adding that Google literally built RT as a major “news” channel by anointing it with a coveted position in YouTube Preferred - ultimately making it the #2 news channel. It remained there for 7 months after US Intelligence report connected it to Kremlin in early 2017.
As I was broadcasting concerns about this in 2017, WSJ and Bloomberg reported on it. Meanwhile, Google pushed back on press coverage and quietly removed RT from YouTube Preferred bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
Soon I watched Google exec give what I believe was false testimony to @SenFeinstein by saying “the algorithms did it” in explaining RT’s removal from YouTube Preferred - miraculously at the same time press was reporting on it. I guess Google’s algorithms read press reports.
Ultimately I published this in Washington Post knowing for nearly every Facebook concern in 2017, yes this was pre Cambridge Analytica reporting, there was an equal and more threatening Google concern. This remains. washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-r…
Here is the testimony from Google regarding handling of Sputnik and RT. No doubt there was significant revenue sharing. So much darkness in Google’s distribution of adverts $$$ around the globe. Thanks to @slpng_giants @crovitz for resurfacing. /end
