Vice President Kamala Harris‘ campaign is modifying headlines on news articles within sponsored search advertisements on Google to appear as if those outlets are seemingly partial toward her presidential bid, an ad tactic that does not breach any policy but does raise questions for some.
The ads, which were first reported by Axios, include headlines and descriptions that mimic a real news article. Newsweek reviewed several of the advertisements through Google’s ad transparency center. Some of the news outlets included in the advertisements include NPR, Reuters, The Guardian and the Associated Press.
Axios reported that the ad technique is often used in commercial advertising and that mimicking news search results does not violate Google’s policies. In one example, which Harris’ campaign bought to appear on Google from August 7 to August 13, the advertisement shows a link to Reuters with the headline, “Inflation Is Down.” The description of the sponsored post reads, “Under …