According to a report, Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign team quietly edited headlines in Google search results to make it appear that major news outlets were on their side.
The altered headlines – all paired with a banner reading “Paid for by Harris for President” – were changed without the knowledge of news outlets, Axios reported Tuesday.
Nearly a dozen publishers were involved in the fake headlines campaign, including major companies such as The Guardian, Reuters, CBS News, The Associated Press and PBS.
Even smaller publications like WDay Radio in North Dakota saw headlines change.
The ads contain links to real news articles, but the headlines and descriptions have been edited to portray the 59-year-old presidential candidate in a supportive light.
For example, the headline of an ad next to a Guardian article reads: “Vice President Harris fights abortion bans – Harris defends reproductive freedom.” Below the headline is supporting text: “Vice President Harris is a champion of reproductive freedom and will stop Trump’s abortion bans.”
Another link to an NPR story reads “Harris will lower health care costs,” with supporting text saying, “Kamala Harris will lower the cost of high-quality, affordable health care,” Axios reported.
Spokespeople for the companies involved, such as CNN, USA Today and NPR – all of which have published flattering content about Harris in recent weeks – said they had no idea of the companies’ involvement in the campaign.
“While we understand why an organisation would want to identify with the Guardian’s trusted brand, we need to ensure it is used appropriately and with our permission. We will be reaching out to Google for more information on this practice,” a Guardian spokesperson said.
While this tactic is misleading, it does not violate Google’s policies because the fake ads are clearly marked as “sponsored” and “easily distinguishable from search results.”
This shocking report comes at a time when Harris is hiding from the very press that is desperately trying to manipulate her to her advantage.
The former Attorney General of California has refused to give important interviews or appear in the press since his nomination as presidential candidate more than three weeks ago.
The Harris campaign did not respond to The Post’s request for comment.
