Kamala Harris’ Campaign Team Editing News Headlines Without Media Outlets’ Consent, Report Claims

Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign has reportedly used a controversial strategy of altering Google search headlines to make it appear that significant news outlets provide favourable coverage of her.

According to a report by Axios, these edited headlines, which are tagged with a “Paid for by Harris for President” banner, was changed without the knowledge or consent of the news organisations involved.

The manipulated headlines affected nearly a dozen publishers, including well-known media outlets such as The Guardian, Reuters, CBS News, The Associated Press, and PBS.

Smaller publications like North Dakota’s WDay Radio were also impacted. While the ads link to articles from these news sources, the headlines and descriptions were modified to present Harris more positively.

One example highlighted by Axios involved a Guardian article where the headline was changed to read, “VP Harris Fights Abortion Bans – Harris Defends Repro Freedom,” with additional text stating, “VP Harris is a champion for reproductive freedom and will stop Trump’s abortion bans.” Another altered ad linked to an NPR article with the headline, “Harris Will Lower Health Costs,” and supporting text that read, “Kamala Harris will lower the cost of high-quality, affordable health care.”

Spokespeople from several affected media companies, including CNN, USA Today, and NPR, expressed surprise and concern.

A spokesperson for The Guardian stated, “While we understand why an organisation 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 contact Google for more information about this practice.”

Despite the misleading nature of these ads, Google’s policies were not violated, as the ads are clearly labelled as “sponsored” and are distinguishable from regular search results.

This report emerges amid Harris’ ongoing avoidance of significant media interviews and public appearances since securing the presidential nomination three weeks ago.

The Harris campaign has not yet responded to requests for comment.