A new report reveals that Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign has legally used Google ads to manipulate news stories, giving positive coverage for the Democrat ticket.
Axios reported Tuesday that 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.”
The report noted that former President Donald Trump’s election campaign is not using the seemingly deceptive practice.
“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,” the outlet reported. “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.”
BREAKING: The Harris campaign is editing news headlines on Google search ads to make it look like reputable news sites are giving her favorable reporting, according to Axios.
These are the same people who accuse the right of “misinformation.”
The news sites include the… pic.twitter.com/QNg7SN0Au4
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) August 13, 2024
One of the ads reportedly with a link to The Guardian showed the headline “VP Harris Fights Abortion Bans – Harris Defends Repro Freedom” and the description read “VP Harris is a champion for reproductive freedom and will stop Trump’s abortion bans.”
Another for Reuters read “Inflation Is Down” and included the description, “Under the Biden-Harris administration, ‘The U.S. is winning the inflation fight.’”
“Harris Will Lower Health Costs” read one NPR headline with the description, “Kamala Harris will lower the cost of high-quality affordable health care.”
Organizations including CNN, USA Today and NPR were reportedly unaware that their articles were being used to boost Harris’s election campaign.
“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 told Axios.
While Google insists the ads do not violate any rules,” platforms have in the past wrestled with whether this type of format can spread misinformation,” Axios noted with a spokesperson for the tech giant saying that it has for years “provided additional levels of transparency for election ads specifically.”
“Google argues that because ads on Search are prominently labeled as ‘Sponsored,’ they’re ‘easily distinguishable from Search results.'” the report stated.
“Election advertisers are required to complete an identity verification process and we prominently display in-ad disclosures that clearly show people who paid for the ad,” a Google spokesperson said.
The company reportedly feels the disclosures are sufficient in offering readers transparency but,” media companies whose brands are being associated with political messages in unexpected ways, may feel differently,” Axios noted.
“Some of these news organizations might not want to be positioned as promoting one campaign, and this implies that they have a bias towards that campaign, potentially,” said John Gable, co-founder and CEO of AllSides.
Social media users were alarmed and angered by the information in the report.
It’s not like anyone had any doubts before, this just rubberstamps it
— 🏛 Aristophanes 🏛 (@Aristos_Revenge) August 13, 2024
It’s not like anyone had any doubts before, this just rubberstamps it
— 🏛 Aristophanes 🏛 (@Aristos_Revenge) August 13, 2024
Have you ever seen anything like this before? We knew the censorship was off the chain, but this is unreal. How are people not connecting the dots and still voting for her? We are in dangerous territory here. Very orwellian.
— Sassafrass84 (@Sassafrass_84) August 13, 2024
Pretty crazy that the free propaganda wasn’t enough.
They needed paid propaganda too.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) August 13, 2024
This is a blatant attempt to manipulate the public and deceive voters.
Voters deserve to know the truth, not be fed a bunch of lies and propaganda.
The left can get away with anything, while the right is constantly being scrutinized and censored. Unreal.
— Joshua Walker (@RedsRepair95) August 13, 2024
