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Kamala Harris’s campaign ‘editing news headlines to make it look like publishers back her’

Presidential candidate’s team accused of secretly altering Google adverts for links to media groups including The Guardian, CNN and Reuters

Kamala Harris’s campaign has been accused of secretly editing news headlines in Google advertisements to make it appear as if well-known media organisations are on her side.
Although the advertisements are labelled as sponsored, they appear alongside Google search results to make them look like genuine articles from news outlets such as The Guardian, CNN and Reuters.
In reality, the “fake news” words have been written by campaign workers trying to help the vice-president, 59, beat Donald Trump in November’s presidential election, according to a report by Axios.
The altered headlines and article descriptions, which are visible to Google users above links to the corresponding news websites, have been changed without the publishers’ knowledge, according to Axios.
One advertisement featuring a link to The Guardian displayed the headline “VP Harris Fights Abortion Bans – Harris Defends Repro Freedom” with a description that read: “VP Harris is a champion for reproductive freedom and will stop Trump’s abortion bans.”
News coverage of the issue on The Guardian’s website was far less partisan.
A Guardian spokesman said: “While we understand why an organisation 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.”
Another election advertisement linking to the US website for National Public Radio (NPR) read: “Harris Will Lower Health Costs.”  Axios reported that the supporting text stated: “Kamala Harris will lower the cost of high-quality affordable health care.” This also did not accurately reflect NPR’s coverage.
Spokesmen for NPR, CNN and USA Today, whose links have appeared in the “Harris for President” advertisements, told Axios they were unaware their brands were being featured this way.
Reuters, CBS News and the Associated Press were also among almost a dozen news companies targeted since Aug 3, Axios found.
Google said the tactic does not break any rules because the advertisements are prominently labelled as “sponsored” so they are “easily distinguishable from search results”.
A Google spokesman said: “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 advertisement.”
Though potentially misleading for some users, it has become a common practice in commercial advertising to mimic real news results.
The Trump campaign has not been running these types of advertisements, according to Axios.
A source familiar with the Harris campaign’s advertising team told Axios that it buys search advertisements with news links to give voters “more context” when searching for information about the presidential hopeful.
There is no suggestion that the campaign has not complied with Google’s rules.
The “fake news” Google tactic has emerged at a time when Ms Harris has been criticised by Republicans for avoiding media scrutiny.
They claim she has dodged significant interviews and press conferences since winning the presidential nomination more than three weeks ago.
Ms Harris’s image features on the front cover of the latest edition of Time magazine, though she declined an interview request for the accompanying profile.

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