[robsears]

It's a whole lot more tenable than appointing a referee, which is what Google is trying to become here. An organization with the power to "settle" contentious debates becomes a target for corruption, a single point of failure for the integrity of the entire system.

For example, maybe the Waltons decide they don't like the national conversation on minimum wage laws; could they lobby/bribe/extort/whatever their way into having their "facts" be treated favorably in search results?

Or could the Democratic party decide that Republican candidate so-and-so is a pedophile/spouse-beater/alien, and make that a settled "fact" by promising Google employees favorable tax breaks in exchange for aid in "narrative building?"

Under the current system, "facts" are democratized. Sure, sometimes bullshit makes its way into the popular consciousness, but it's more random than not. When I see some tripe about "OBAMA TO INJECT TRACKING CHIPS INTO AMERICANS USING THIS ONE WEIRD TRICK," I'm relieved to know that there is no amount of money or power in this world to make that an established "fact."