{"id":2451593,"date":"2025-06-25T07:11:02","date_gmt":"2025-06-25T11:11:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/google-promoted-pro-china-content-from-hijacked-news-site\/"},"modified":"2025-06-25T07:14:08","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T11:14:08","slug":"google-promoted-pro-china-content-from-hijacked-news-site","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/google-promoted-pro-china-content-from-hijacked-news-site\/","title":{"rendered":"Google promoted pro-China content from hijacked news site"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fgoogle-promoted-pro-china-content-from-hijacked-news-site%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2451593&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A local news website, the Farmingdale Observer, has allegedly been hijacked by unknown parties promoting pro-China content. This site, which previously provided local news, now features numerous articles echoing narratives favorable to the Chinese Communist Party, including exaggerated claims about China&#8217;s technological advancements and military capabilities. Initially,the outlet was owned by Anton Media Group but was sold to Schneps Media,which reported that the website had either been hacked or its domain stolen prior to the acquisition. Google promoted this pro-China content briefly, but after inquiries from the *Washington Examiner*, the site was removed from its news aggregator.The issues raised highlight concerns over foreign influence in local media and the need for better oversight to prevent the spread of misinformation. Similar patterns have been noted with other local outlets, such as the Stewartville Star in Minnesota, further illustrating a disturbing trend of foreign narratives infiltrating local news platforms.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Google promoted content from hijacked local news website posting pro-China content<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2143730\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>A website purporting to be a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/nc-lt-gov-mark-robinson-slams-liberal-media-outlet-for-cartoon-depicting-republicans-as-kkk-members-video\/\" title=\"NC Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson Slams Liberal Media ... For Cartoon Depicting Republicans As KKK Members (VIDEO)\">local news outlet<\/a> operating out of a Long Island village has been taken over by <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >anonymous actors pushing puff pieces<\/a> about <a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/china\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">China<\/a>, and <a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/google\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Google<\/a> promoted its work to users before removing it from its news platform, the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> has learned.<\/p>\n<p>The <em>Farmingdale Observer<\/em>&rsquo;s website claims that it has been providing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/report-kentucky-gov-attended-private-school-despite-claiming-to-be-a-proud-product-of-public-education\/\" title=\"Report: Kentucky Gov. Attended Private School Despite Claiming To Be A \u2018Proud Product Of Public Education\u2019\">local news coverage<\/a> out of its eponymous <a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/new-york\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">New York<\/a> township since 1963. A <a href=\"https:\/\/farmingdale-observer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">glance<\/a> at the outlet&rsquo;s webpage, however, reveals no local news coverage and a flood of clickbait content. Nestled among the miscellaneous clickbait are several articles advancing narratives similar to those published by outlets run by the Chinese Communist Party.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/investigations\/3450590\/progressive-judge-frees-federally-charged-anti-ice-rioters-portland\/\">Liberal judge frees federally charged anti-ICE rioters in Portland<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/investigations\/3448794\/big-tech-chinese-military-revenue\/\">Big Tech collects revenue from Uyghur genocide-linked &lsquo;Chinese military companies&rsquo;<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/investigations\/3446090\/virginia-senators-request-3-million-group-helps-illegal-migrants-work\/\">Virginia senators request $1.5 million for group that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/big-tech-takes-cash-from-chinese-military-companies\/\" title=\"Big Tech takes cash from Chinese ... companies\">helps illegal migrants find work<\/a>, stages pro-migrant protests<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>&ldquo;China, with nearly 1,700 ship orders booked by 2024, compared with just 5 for the United States, now dominates world naval production,&rdquo; an article titled &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/farmingdale-observer.com\/2025\/06\/18\/they-cant-do-it-alone-anymore-the-u-s-military-sounds-the-alarm-and-requests-urgent-support-against-chinas-rising-power\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">The U.S. military sounds the alarm and requests urgent support against China&rsquo;s rising power<\/a>,&rdquo; reads. &ldquo;The ability of the US Navy to adapt to these rapid changes and maintain its supremacy in the face of a rising China remains uncertain.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Other articles hosted on the <em>Farmingdale Observer<\/em>&rsquo;s website and published this year <a href=\"https:\/\/farmingdale-observer.com\/2025\/03\/27\/this-chinese-quantum-processor-is-a-quadrillion-times-faster-than-the-best-conventional-computers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">praise<\/a> China&rsquo;s technological advancements using exaggerated language, <a href=\"https:\/\/farmingdale-observer.com\/2025\/06\/15\/china-outpaces-the-west-by-several-years-in-a-promising-economic-sector-modular-nuclear-reactors\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">push<\/a> the narrative that Chinese economic growth is outpacing that of the West, and <a href=\"https:\/\/farmingdale-observer.com\/2025\/06\/04\/united-states-wont-be-happy-xiaomi-has-developed-a-chip-so-powerful-that-even-china-has-praised-it\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">provide<\/a> favorable coverage to companies favored by the CCP, among <a href=\"https:\/\/farmingdale-observer.com\/2025\/06\/03\/china-has-launched-a-wind-turbine-so-large-that-a-skyscraper-can-fit-between-its-blades\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">myriad<\/a> other pro-China <a href=\"https:\/\/farmingdale-observer.com\/2025\/04\/12\/weighing-42600-tons-this-new-chinese-monster-was-built-for-one-purpose-to-break-the-world-record-for-the-deepest-drill-at-7-miles\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">slants<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>The authors listed on the pieces do not show up anywhere else online. One person listed on the website&rsquo;s masthead, Dave G. Rub, does appear to be <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/dave-gil-de-rubio-6533704\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">real<\/a> but has not been affiliated with the publication since 2022, per his LinkedIn profile.<\/p>\n<p>A source told the <em>Washington Examiner <\/em>that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Screenshot-2025-06-23-101156.webp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Google News<\/a>, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/meta-rakes-in-cash-promoting-ccp-propaganda\/\" title=\"Meta rakes in cash promoting ... propaganda\">tech giant&#038;rsquo<\/a>;s flagship news aggregator, recommended pro-China content such as this from the <em>Farmingdale Observer<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>A Google spokeswoman told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> that outlets must meet transparency standards, such as providing accurate information about their authors and owners, to appear on Google News. The <em>Farmingdale Observer<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/search?q=farmingdale%20observer&amp;hl=en-US&amp;gl=US&amp;ceid=US%3Aen\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">no longer appears <\/a>in Google News search results following the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>&lsquo;s inquiry.<\/p>\n<p>The <em>Farmingdale Observer<\/em> was previously owned by Anton Media Group but was <a href=\"https:\/\/libn.com\/2024\/05\/07\/schneps-acquires-a-long-island-newspaper-group\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">sold<\/a> to Schneps Media in 2024. The CEO of Schneps Media told the <em>Washington Examiner <\/em>that the outlet&rsquo;s website was either hacked or had its domain stolen. The hijacking happened before Schneps Media acquired the site and has been reported to Google, with no action being taken on its part, according to the CEO.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A former dock facility is shown with old transfer bridges, with &ldquo;Long Island&rdquo; painted in large letters at Gantry State Park in the Long Island City section of Queens, New York. (AP Photo\/Bebeto Matthews)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&ldquo;We don&rsquo;t comment on actions taken against specific websites, but our <a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/search\/docs\/essentials\/spam-policies\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">spam policies<\/a> prohibit repurposing expired domains for the purposes of ranking well on Google,&rdquo; a Google spokeswoman told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. &ldquo;We take action on sites globally that don&rsquo;t follow our policies.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The spokeswoman explained that Google works diligently to reduce the proliferation of spam on its platforms and to fight against content creators who are attempting to game the search engine.<\/p>\n<p>The <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/investigations\/3434126\/google-chinese-propaganda-news-articles\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">previously reported<\/a> that Google labels media produced by the CCP&rsquo;s propaganda ministry as &ldquo;news&rdquo; and promotes it to users. Google is far from the only large tech company entangled in the CCP&rsquo;s global influence effort. Meta, for instance, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/investigations\/3435965\/meta-rakes-in-ad-revenue-ccp-propaganda\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">accepts funds<\/a> from Chinese government-run media websites to promote their stories on Facebook and Instagram, while X <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/CGTNOfficial\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">allows<\/a> CCP-run news outlets to publish content without Disclaimers disclosing their ties to Beijing.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Reports of the CCP infiltrating local media are alarming, but not surprising,&rdquo; Rep. Nick LaLota (R-NY), who represents a district on Long Island, told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. &ldquo;It tracks with their infiltration of Governor [Kathy] Hochul&rsquo;s top staff, cheating us on trade, harassing our military, and facilitating the flow of fentanyl across our southern border. If the CCP is posing as local news to influence Long Islanders, that is a national security threat. Google must fix this immediately, and our intelligence agencies should be involved.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The <em>Farmingdale Observer<\/em>&rsquo;s legitimacy as a local news operation is called further into question by the posisbly foreign servers it uses.<\/p>\n<p>Until April 2024, the <em>Farmingdale Observer<\/em>&rsquo;s website was <a href=\"https:\/\/viewdns.info\/iphistory\/?domain=farmingdale-observer.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">hosted<\/a> in the U.S., records show. After that point, it was briefly hosted through Infomaniak, a privacy-focused Swiss web hosting service, and then moved to a server in an unknown country maintained by Cloudflare.<\/p>\n<p>The <em>Farmingdale Observer<\/em> is not the only website purporting to be a local news outlet while pushing out pro-Chinese coverage instead of regional coverage.<\/p>\n<p>The <em>Stewartville Star<\/em>, which claims to have been covering local news in Minnesota since 1891, has a website now populated by an array of clickbait alongside the occasional pro-Chinese article. Like the <em>Farmingdale Observer, <\/em>pieces on the <em>Stewartville Star<\/em>&rsquo;s website praise China&rsquo;s &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/thinkstewartville.com\/2025\/05\/14\/a-giant-nuclear-laser-under-construction-an-american-satellite-reveals-chinas-breathtaking-ambition\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">breathtaking ambition<\/a>,&rdquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/thinkstewartville.com\/2025\/06\/21\/this-chinese-city-with-4-times-the-population-of-new-york-sets-a-world-record-with-11787-drones-used-in-a-visual-spectacle\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">heap praise<\/a> on Chinese cities, and <a href=\"https:\/\/thinkstewartville.com\/2025\/06\/16\/china-has-released-a-video-of-a-train-traveling-at-248-mph-the-fastest-in-the-world\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">laud<\/a> China&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/thinkstewartville.com\/2025\/06\/10\/432-chinese-robots-moved-an-entire-7500-ton-neighborhood-before-returning-it-to-its-original-spot-to-build-a-subway\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">technological advancement<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/investigations\/3434126\/google-chinese-propaganda-news-articles\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><strong>GOOGLE FEEDS ARTICLES FROM CHINESE STATE-RUN PROPAGANDA OUTLETS TO AMERICAN READERS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The <em>Stewartville Star <\/em>followed a <a href=\"https:\/\/viewdns.info\/iphistory\/?domain=thinkstewartville.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">similar pattern<\/a> to the <em>Farmingdale Observer<\/em>, wherein it long hosted its website on American servers only to briefly move to Swiss servers maintained by Infomaniak, and then finally transferred to Cloudflare servers in an unknown locale.<\/p>\n<p>The Chinese government <a href=\"https:\/\/cepa.org\/article\/the-rise-of-chinas-international-propaganda-empire\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">maintains <\/a>a large web of media operations intended to influence global audiences, spending billions of dollars every year producing and promoting content that pushes the CCP&rsquo;s favored narratives. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_2143730\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"2143730\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Google promoted pro-China content from a hijacked local news site<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":894,"featured_media":2451594,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Google_Antitrust_889.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[5589,6063,57851,50738,22523],"class_list":["post-2451593","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-content","tag-google","tag-hijacked-news-site","tag-misinformation-2","tag-pro-china"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Google_Antitrust_889.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2451593","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/894"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2451593"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2451593\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2451597,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2451593\/revisions\/2451597"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2451594"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2451593"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2451593"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2451593"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}