美联社报道，（中国）国家电视台指责中国最大的互联网搜索引擎百度允许非法医药公司通过竞价排名占据搜索结果的显著位置，而且未对用户作出提醒。
Baidu.com, China‘s largest internet search engine is now scrambling to rescue its reputation after state TV accused it of letting unlicensed suppliers of medical products pay for higher rankings on its results page — without alerting users, AP reported.
在一份声明中，百度称，已展开对此问题的内部调查，同时承诺与主管部门合作，并对感情受到伤害的用户和其他客户表示真诚的道歉。
In a statement, Baidu said it had started an internal investigation of the problem, pledged to cooperate with regulators and expressed a "sincere apology for hurting the feelings of users and other customers".
百度表示，公司已在付费搜索业务中删除了数千家客户的搜索广告。
Baidu says it has suspended thousands of merchants from its paid-search service.
自央视上周末曝光之后，百度美国股价本周出现暴跌，其中周一跌幅达30%。
Baidu.com‘s U.S. shares have plunged this week, including a 30% drop Monday, since the weekend CCTV report.
此次事件，对百度而言无疑是一次重创。自2002年推出搜索服务以来，百度盈利一路高歌猛奏，最近一个季度的净利润增长了91%，且在中国的搜索市场份额达到了60%，遥遥领先于竞争对手谷歌中国。
It is a big setback for Baidu, which enjoyed a long winning streak after its 2002 launch, with profits up 91% in the latest quarter and a 60% market share, far ahead of Google‘s Chinese site.
美联称，（央视）的曝光正值中国发生一连串毒奶粉、伪劣药品和其它劣质产品相继引发人命，公众怨愤之时。
The new accusations are explosive at a time of public outrage in China over a string of deaths blamed on tainted milk, shoddy medicines and other faulty products, AP commented.
花旗分析师Jason Brueschke说，“现在，人们对危害消费者健康风险的任何人已无法容忍。”
"There‘s a very low tolerance for anyone that seems to be involved in exposing consumers to health risks in China," said Citigroup analyst Jason Brueschke.
百度首席执行官李彦宏表示，为了稳定用户人心，公司正在要求出售医疗、美容、保健产品的公司在使用竞价排名搜索服务前，首先要出示其合法证明。
CEO Robin Li said Baidu is trying to reassure users by requiring customers selling medical, beauty and health food products to show they are licensed in their fields before they can return to the paid-search service.
不过他强调，法律并没有要求这么做，而且搜索引擎不应为网上发布的信息的真实性负责。
But he stressed that was not required by law and said search engines could not be expected to vouch for information on the Internet.
他说：“我们这么做是因为我们重视这件事。这对我们非常重要。我们希望成为一家有责任感的企业公民。”
"We are doing this because we care. It is important to us. We want to be a responsible corporate citizen," Li said.
中央电视台在节目中曝光，出售医疗产品和服务的非法公司出现在百度的搜索结果中，且排名很靠前。
Over the weekend, however, China Central Television said Baidu‘s paid-search service, which lets websites pay to be listed higher among search results, allowed links to unlicensed companies that offered medical products or services.
谷歌和其它一些中国的搜索引擎也提供类似的付费搜索服务。
Google and other Chinese search engines do offer such paid-search services.
但与其他搜索引擎不同，百度把付费和真正的搜索结果混在一起，只是在每条付费之后，用小字标明“推广”。
Unlike most search engines, Baidu mixes sponsored links with "genuine" search results, with the word "promotion" in small Chinese characters at the end of sponsored items..
布鲁斯因克指出，有一件事，央视并没有明说，那就是百度没有清楚地将正常的搜索结果和付费的搜索结果区别开来，这就容易让消费者产生混淆。
"One of the things CCTV has implicitly said is that because Baidu does not clearly differentiate between what is sponsored and what is natural, the consumer runs the risk of being confused," Brueschke said.
“如果区分不清，消费者如果购买了对他们产生损害的产品，百度是不是在某种程度上要对此负责呢？”
"If there is a muddling of that distinction, has Baidu somehow contributed to consumers‘ purchasing products that harmed them?"
一些用户抱怨百度搜索结果中的推广太多，有的搜索结果第一页全部是推广。
Some users complain that Baidu carries so many paid items that the first page of results for some searches is entirely promotions.
百度声誉近来屡受打击。
Baidu‘s reputation has taken other hits recently.
9月，网上传言，百度收受钱财封杀毒奶粉信息。
Websites were full of accusations in September that Baidu was paid to suppress information on tainted milk.
百度回应称，毒奶粉事件主要公司三鹿集团曾寻求百度协助屏蔽关于三鹿的负面新闻，但百度称，他们回绝了这个要求。
Baidu responded that Sanlu Group, the dairy at the center of China‘s milk scandal, had asked Baidu to exclude bad news about Sanlu from search results, but Baidu said it rejected the request.
公司一份声明称，“百度尊重事实，搜索结果就反映了这个承诺。”
"Baidu respects the truth and their search results reflect that commitment," said a company statement.
还有传言称，如果商家不愿付费搜索，百度会将其从搜索结果中屏蔽。李对此予以了否认。
Li also has denied claims that Baidu excluded websites from search results if their operators failed to pay.
称，有评论家指出，周末央视的曝光是一个信号，说明政府认为必须向公众表明其维护消费者权益的决心。
Analysts said CCTV‘s reports at the weekend were a sign that the government felt the need to demonstrate that it would protect consumers‘ interests, the Financial Times said.
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