Here’s Who Google Blamed When the Harris Campaign Was Caught Faking and Editing News Headlines in Google Search Ads for Favorable Reporting
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 Guardian, Reuters, CBS News and others.
Google says the ads don’t violate their rules however a similar practice has previously been banned on Facebook.
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.
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.
Reality check: Google said the ads don’t violate its rules, but platforms have in the past wrestled with whether this type of format can spread misinformation.
Facebook banned the ability for advertisers to edit text from Instant Article news links in their ads in 2017, citing its “continuing efforts to stop the spread of misinformation and false news.”
Google argues that because ads on Search are prominently labeled as “Sponsored,” they’re “easily distinguishable from Search results.”
Who to blame?
Google blames a “glitch” for how the Harris campaign was able to trick internet users into thinking reputable news sites were giving Kamala favorable reporting.
It’s really weird how these “glitches” always seem to benefit the left.
Fox News reports that Google says a “glitch” was to blame.
Video below:
NEW: Google blames a “glitch” for how the Harris campaign was able to trick internet users into thinking reputable news sites were giving Kamala favorable reporting.
It’s really weird how these “glitches” always seem to benefit the left.
Axios released a report revealing how… pic.twitter.com/eINxn5sKMp
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) August 14, 2024
If this were the other way around, the media would be melting down and saying Trump is an authoritarian trying to undermine democracy.
Kamala does it and the response is: “Whoops! A glitch!”
OPINION: This article contains commentary which reflects the author’s opinion
Reminder: The purpose of the articles that you will find on this website, are to EDUCATE, not to disinform or grow hate and anger!
Natalie D. is an American conservative writer who writes for Supreme Insider and Conservative US, ! Natalie has described herself as a polemicist who likes to “stir up the pot,” and does not “pretend to be impartial or balanced, as broadcasters do,” drawing criticism from the left, and sometimes from the right. As a passionate journalist, she works relentlessly to uncover the corruption happening in Washington. She is a “constitutional conservative”.
