Stop Snitchin', Start Buying?

Did you catch last night's "60 Minutes" report on the controversial "Stop snitchin'" movement, which implores young people in inner-city neighborhoods not to cooperate with police? I thought it was excellent, and I've posted the full segment in this post. (Just click on the video box.)

Video:
Stop Snitchin'

You're better off getting to the piece from here than from a general search of the CBSNews.com site: A commenter tipped me off to the fact that a search for "Stop Snitchin" in the CBSNews.com search area yields not the story but ads for "Stop snitchin'" merchandise.

The auto-generated sponsored search results implore you to "Enjoy Savings & Selection On cheap stop snitching shirts" at Shopzilla and get a "Stop Snitching Shirt For Less" on eBay. There are also "Stop snitchin" "hats, posters and much more" available.

This wasn't planned, of course: The search function simply relies on keywords and then returns results, without anyone making an editorial decision along the way. Keyword-based ads like this are common practice, and it's probably good that CBS News isn't censoring its ads to remove offerings for controversial (but legal) products. But it's certainly worth noting that CBS News seems to be both a place to learn about the dangers of "Stop snitchin'" products and a place to buy them.

[ronmwanga]

It was a remarkable piece and a turning point for Anderson Cooper on the 60 Minutes who, thus far, had been used more as a pop-culture reporter than what he appears to be now. This Snitches-Get-Stitches is the sort of thing Juan Williams has been talking about for years (And, closer to CBS, Bill Cosby as well). I'd love to see a 60 Minutes piece on Juan Williams, whose recent book is a critique of the excesses of the hip-hop community and a reverence for the modesty of the mores of The Civil Rights generation.