By Sharon Hill
 
As with many independent web sites, Doubtful News relies on search results from Google to send traffic to the site. Many skeptical activism sites are encouraged to use best practices for search engine optimization in order to gain readers looking for more information on a particular topic. The importance of searches to provide a wide-ranging view of Internet information is why news yesterday regarding manipulation of search results was worrisome.

Blogger Esther Rockett brought to light that Universal Medicine, a controversial unit promoting "Esoteric Medicine" headed by Serge Benhayon (not a licensed physician), hired a company to address potential Internet defamation claims. This is a common activity for alt med practitioners, celebrity psychics, and those pushing dubious claims. They will make attempts to silence criticism by issuing takedown notices to the site's internet service provider, filing copyright infringement claims, threatening libel action, and, now, petitioning Google to remove specific URLs (internet addresses) from Google search results. 

On December 5, Fellows of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (formerly CSICOP) e the Center for Inquiry took a stand against the rampant misuse of the word "Skeptic" to describe those ideologues who deny the scientific consensus to support their own agendas. These people, like Sen. James Inhofe who consistently reject the scientific evidence for climate change, are deniers, plain and simple. The open letter concludes:

It is signed by some of science education's brightest lights - Bill Nye, Eugenie Scott, Lawrence Krauss, and James "The Amazing" Randi.