Another Anti-Union Tactic: Google AdWords

I was looking for reporting on a recent Town Hall meeting in Pittsburgh on the Employee Free Choice act and found a piece by the Pittsburg Post-Gazette online.

At the bottom of the page appeared two small ads generated by the Google AdWords program.

The headlines on the ads were Bills Deny Secret Ballot and Unions Explained.

Anyone reading the story was just one click away from anti-union propaganda. This is the first time I have seen Google AdWords used in this way. This is a new communication tactic that union editors and communications directors need to know about as they calculate on-line media strategies.

I think it raises issues about appropriate balance for newspapers that participate in the Google AdWords program.