Insider Chatter by Donna Bogatin

What does Google’s acquisition of GrandCentral Communications have in common with Google’s love-hate relationship with Michael Moore’s Sicko? Google’s malleable, disposable supposedly guiding corporate principles.

Upon acquiring GrandCentral, Google conveniently ditched its founding Brin & Page corporate mission to “organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful “in favor of a decidely GrandCentral friendly one.

SEE: BREAKING: New Google Mission! Watch Out World

In the Google Michael Moore drama, inconsistent, reactive coporate PR subsititutes for real business integrity, ad nauseam.

The Google Sicko drama timeline in its not so glory:

June 29: “Does negative press make you Sicko” penned by Lauren Planner, on behalf of Google, Inc., at the Google Health Advertising Blog.

In Google Health: Lambast Doctors, Sell Medical Ads, I analyse in-depth how the Google sales pitch to the health care industry to buy AdWords as an antidote to “media” propensity to dwell on the “worst” of big health care business is in direct contradiction of Google’s own strategy to dwell on the “worst” of health service providers in pushing its Google Health business.

Google Health architect, and Google VP engineering, Adam Bosworth, on how the American public is at big medical risk, in drastic need of Google intervention:

At some point in a patient’s life, the odds of them being treated in a way which doesn’t follow the guidelines and rules is 45%. There are estimates that somewhere between 44,000 and 98,000 Americans die every year from a preventable medical error at a hospital, or about 150 to 300 preventable inpatient deaths a day. And approximately 770,000 people are injured or die each year in hospitals from an adverse drug event. There are roughly 5000 preventable medical errors a day taking place at doctor’s offices.

Is Google deliberately weakening consumer confidence in the reliability of U.S. health care delivery? Bosworth does not cite any sources for HIS indictment of the nations’ medical practioners.

July 1: “My opinion and Google’s,” once again penned by Lauren Turner, on behalf of Google, Inc., at the Google Health Advertiisng Blog.

In Google’s Medical Problem: Where is Adam Bosworth, Google Health Architect?, I analyze in-depth how the supposed retraction actually serves to double-down on the Google AdWords pitch to the health care industry, claiming “democratic” contributions to the public dialogue via the multi-billion dollar Google ad auctions.

At the same time, Google circulated a terse, one sentence “Google spokesperson” reaction to the original Turner penned post:

Google has no official opinion on Michael Moore or his movie Sicko.

REALLY? On July 2 Google seemed to FIND an official position on Moore AND Sicko, now proudly touted at the THE OFFICIAL Google Corporate blog, penned by Missy Krasner, Product Marketing Manager, on behalf of Google, Inc.’s “official” reaction.

Google purportedly wants to make the world’s information more “useful.” Why, then is its own communication information incomprehensible double-speak:

We were surprised by the pickup, but perhaps we shouldn’t have been.

Our internal review of the piece before publication failed to recognize that readers would–properly, but incorrectly–impute the criticisms as reflecting Google’s official position.

Google now embraces Moore and Sicko: “Google DOES share many of the concerns that Mr. More expresses about the cost and availability of health care in America,” according to Krasner.

What’s more, Google perks for its rocket scientists are not just free food and massage, Mountain View offers top notch health care options for its highly paid white collar staff. NO uninsured problem at $160 billion market cap Google, the official Google Blog assures.

Google even sprung for 1000 in-house tickets for an apparent PRIVATE screening of Sicko, just for its merry band of well-insured Googlers.

FOOTNOTE: Lauren Turner gets the last double-speak word, with an “update” at her not quite retraction post. Although the post was headlined “My opinion and Google’s,” Turner apparently was confused about her own opinion initially, as has been Google:

As for me, I whole-heartedly believe we should work to improve the quality of health care in America and support the discourse that will drive this change.

What a difference two days makes! Turner now proclaims, loud and proud, HER position on the quality of U.S. health care, at the Google Health Advertising Blog, as an update to the post where she originally disclaimed that: “I doubt that too many people care about my personal opinion.”

How about Hillary Clinton’s opinion on Google AND U.S. health care?

In Google, Hillary Clinton and U.S. Health Care I report in-depth on the REAL Google health care story.

CONTACT DONNA BOGATIN