Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign has reportedly used fake news headlines to deceive readers.
According to a report from Axios, 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 ads can be seen on the Harris for President Google Ads Center.
While the links take readers to an article, the headlines differ. For example, an ad with a link to an NPR story has the headline: “Harris Will Lower Health Costs.” A subline reads, “Kamala Harris will lower the cost of high-quality affordable health care.”
Advertisements were featured alongside stories from the Associated Press, CBS News, PBS, USA Today, CNN, The Guardian, and other outlets.
A spokesperson for the Guardian said, “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.”
Google said the ads are not in violation of its policies. Because the ads are labeled as “Sponsored” results, they are “easily distinguishable from Search results.”
