The Kamala Harris campaign has been deceiving the public into believing that major media sources endorse her by carefully altering news headlines in Google search results.
According to Axios, the campaign staff for vice president Kamala Harris has been deceptively altering news headlines in Google search results to suggest that prominent media publications back her.
This information is made when detractors are challenging Harris’ decision to abstain from major media appearances and interviews since announcing her presidential bid.
Without the news outlets’ knowledge, the amended headlines—all accompanied by a banner that said, “Paid for by Harris for President”—were made, according to the study.
About twelve publishers were participating in the bogus headline effort; they included reputable publications including Reuters, The Guardian, PBS, CBS News, and The Associated Press.
In fact, her campaign has altered the headlines of little media like North Dakota’s WDay Radio.
Google and industry observers referenced to Harris’ campaign’s use of customized headlines and descriptions to connect to real news pieces from various sources when it launched sponsored advertising on the search engine.
One sponsored ad that takes users to the NPR website claims, “Harris will Lower Health Costs,” while another AP article title reads, “VP Harris’ Economic Vision – Lower Costs and Higher Wages,” according to Axios.
Another example is the title in the Guardian that reads, “VP Harris Fights Abortion Bans – Harris Defends Repro Freedom,” with the statement, “VP Harris is a champion for reproductive freedom and will stop Trump’s abortion bans,” backing it.
What is media outlets’ take on Harris campaign’s act?
Speaking on behalf of the affected companies, representatives from CNN, USA Today, and NPR—all of which had published favorable articles on Harris in the previous several weeks—stated they were not aware that their companies were associated with the effort.
“Although we can see why a company would want to associate itself with the reputable Guardian brand, we must make sure it is being utilized properly and with our consent. We’ll be contacting Google to inquire further about this behavior, a Guardian spokesman declared.
An official from USA TODAY’s parent business, Gannett, stated that the Harris campaign’s use of their material was unknown to them.
The spokesman stated that the news organization is committed to ensuring that the highest standards of truth and integrity are upheld in the responsible dissemination of its articles.
Google’s standards are not violated by this tactic, despite its deceit, because the fake ads are identified as “sponsored” and “easily distinguishable from search results.”
Did Kamala Harris campaign say anything on matter?
According to a source close to the Harris campaign’s advertising team, the campaign buys search ads with news links to provide anyone wishing to learn more about the Democrat presidential candidate additional context.
Although some advertising may not have received the necessary disclaimers when they appeared owing to a technical problem in Google’s Ad Library, the campaign complied with Google’s rules. An official from Google confirmed the issue and said the company is looking into what went wrong.
The representative stated, “We prominently display in-ad disclosures that clearly show people who paid for the ad. Election advertisers are required to complete an identity verification process.”
