A bit of scandal could be brewing for Kamala Harris. Her campaign, along with those of other Democratic candidates, was exposed this week for manipulating news content on Google search ads to their benefit.
Both Axios and the Washington Examiner reported that the campaigns have been using ad dollars to promote real news articles with edited headlines and previews.
For example, one ad reads “VP Harris’s Economic Vision – Lower Costs and Higher Wages.” The ad then links to an AP article, making it appear that the news outlet is reporting this positive headline. Similar ads have been seen alongside links for the Guardian, Reuters, CBS News and other outlets.
Google has responded saying the ads don’t violate their rules since they are labeled as “sponsored.” However, it did say a glitch made it so not all the proper information was displayed in some cases. Google also says other campaigns have used the tactic before.