A book that delves into the cover-up a film documenting the horrors suffered by victims of the atomic bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki has been deemed too violent for Google's advertising program.
Greg Mitchell's new book, Atomic Cover-Up: Two U.S. Soldiers, Hiroshima & Nagasaki and The Greatest Movie Never Made, is the first to be devoted to the historic full-color footage that was covered up by the U.S. government for decades.
Google's "ad word team" notified Mitchell Monday that an online ad for the book's video trailer was being suspended because it "promotes violence."
"At this time, Google policy does not permit the advertisement of websites that contain the promotion of violence," an email to Mitchell said. "As noted in our advertising terms and conditions, Google may refuse any ads or terminate any of your ad campaigns at any time, for any reason."
"Promotion of Violence: Unacceptable Content: Google strongly believes in the freedom of expression and therefore offers broad access to content across the web without censoring search results," Google's policy states.
Mitchell was left wondering if the entire video might be pulled next.
"Of course, the irony is that the very subject of the book, and trailer, is the U.S. hiding content that revealed the full effects of the new weapon, helping pave the way for a costly nuclear arms race and a proliferation of other nuclear dangers," he wrote for The Nation's Media Fix blog.
"That was the ultimate 'promotion of violence.'"
Watch this video trailer for Mitchell's book, uploaded July 14, 2011.
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