Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign team has reportedly been altering news headlines in Google search results to create the illusion of media support, according to a report by Axios.
The discovery comes as Harris faces criticism for avoiding significant interviews and media appearances after announcing her presidential bid. The altered headlines, all tagged with a “Paid for by Harris for President” banner, were reportedly changed without the knowledge or consent of the news outlets involved.
The campaign targeted approximately a dozen media organizations, including major outlets like CBS News, PBS, Reuters, The Guardian, and The Associated Press. Even smaller publications, such as WDay Radio in North Dakota, were not exempt from these modifications.
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Harris’ campaign has been using sponsored Google ads to link to actual news articles but with customized headlines and descriptions, a strategy Google and industry experts consider “common.”
For example, one sponsored ad linked to NPR’s website under the headline “Harris will Lower Health Costs,” while another from the AP stated, “VP Harris’ Economic Vision – Lower Costs and Higher Wages,” according to Axios.
Another modified headline from The Guardian, “VP Harris Fights Abortion Bans – Harris Defends Repro Freedom,” was accompanied by text that read, “VP Harris is a champion for reproductive freedom and will stop Trump’s abortion bans.”
Though this approach may seem misleading, it does not violate Google’s policies because the ads are clearly marked as “sponsored” and are easily distinguishable from regular search results.
A source close to Harris’ campaign team explained that they purchase search ads that link to news articles to provide additional context for people searching for information about the Democratic candidate.
According to the Google Ad Transparency Center, the Harris campaign spent between $6,000 and $7,000 on a Google ad featuring a heavily edited headline from The Independent, designed to favor Harris.
Two versions of the headline were used: “VP Harris Protects Democracy – Trump Defends Jan 6 Comments” and “Trump Will Pardon J6 Rioters – VP Harris Protects Democracy.” These ads were targeted at Pennsylvanians aged 18 to 65+ from August 2 to August 13, appearing 25,000 to 30,000 times.
Although the campaign adhered to Google’s regulations, some ads may have lacked the required disclosures due to a technical glitch in Google’s Ad Library. A Google representative confirmed the issue and stated that the company is investigating the problem.
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