The Harris Campaign is editing news headlines with Google search ads to make it appear major news outlets such as Reuters, CBS News, CNN, NPR and AP are on her side.
While these major news outlets are shilling for Harris, her campaign edited the news headlines without the outlets’ consent or knowledge.
The ads say “sponsored” but the outlets did not publish the text. The favorable headlines were written by the Harris campaign.
CNN, NPR and other outlets told Axios they were unaware of the ads.
Google says the Harris campaign has not violated their policies because the ads are labeled “sponsored.”
Axios reported:
The Harris campaign has been editing news headlines and descriptions within Google search ads that make it appear as if the Guardian, Reuters, CBS News and other major publishers are on her side, Axios has found.
Why it matters: It’s a common practice in the commercial advertising world that doesn’t violate Google’s policies, but the ads mimic real news results from Search closely enough that they have news outlets caught off guard.
- According to Google’s ad transparency center, the Trump campaign isn’t running these types of ads, but this technique has been used by campaigns before.
- The ads say that they are sponsored, but it’s not immediately clear that the text that accompanies real news links is written by the campaigns and not by the media publication itself.
What they’re saying: “While we understand why an organization might wish to align itself with the Guardian’s trusted brand, we need to ensure it is being used appropriately and with our permission. We’ll be reaching out to Google for more information about this practice,” a Guardian spokesperson said.
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Spokespeople for brands such as CNN, USA Today and NPR, whose links appeared in Harris for President ads, said they were unaware their brand was being featured this way.
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