{"id":2325504,"date":"2024-08-16T05:54:00","date_gmt":"2024-08-16T09:54:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rewriting-news-headlines-with-campaign-ads-is-bipartisan-affair-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-08-16T06:01:41","modified_gmt":"2024-08-16T10:01:41","slug":"rewriting-news-headlines-with-campaign-ads-is-bipartisan-affair-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rewriting-news-headlines-with-campaign-ads-is-bipartisan-affair-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Rewriting news headlines with campaign ads is bipartisan affair &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Frewriting-news-headlines-with-campaign-ads-is-bipartisan-affair-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2325504&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses the bipartisan practice \u2064of political campaigns manipulating news headlines \u200bin Google Search ads to gain \u200dan advantage with \u200dvoters. Investigations by the *Washington Examiner* reveal that both Republican and Democratic\u2064 campaigns have engaged in altering headlines and \u200cdescriptions of \u2062<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/is-he-guilty-of-sexual-misconduct-depends-on-his-political-party\/\" title=\"Is He Guilty Of Sexual Misconduct? Depends On His Political Party.\">news articles<\/a> to mislead \u2064voters. For instance, campaigns for prominent politicians such as Vice President Kamala Harris and Senators Marsha Blackburn and Mike Braun have used\u2063 this tactic to present more favorable narratives about their\u2063 platforms or to cast their opponents in a negative light.<\/p>\n<p>Notable examples involve Harris\u2019 \u2062campaign \u200cpromoting articles using modified headlines suggestive of endorsements from news outlets, \u200dand Blackburn\u2019s campaign creating misleading ads to attack rivals. Critics argue that this strategy can deceive voters seeking truthful information about candidates, while Google permits such\u200d practices in political advertising, leading some news organizations to consider legal action.<\/p>\n<p>The article highlights the tension between the effectiveness\u200b of this tactic and its ethical implications, as campaigns \u2064justify their actions by claiming alignment with the linked stories\u2019 content, despite concerns about\u2064 authenticity and transparency in political discourse. the manipulation\u2064 of news headlines is shown to be a strategic yet contentious tool in\u2064 electoral politics used across party lines.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Manipulating news headlines for political gain is a bipartisan affair<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1731526\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>There&rsquo;s at least one thing Republican and Democratic campaigns both have apparent affinities for: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3121882\/democrats-google-search-ads-falsify-news-headlines-past-harris-campaign\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"altering headlines\">altering news headlines<\/a> to try and score points with voters.<\/p>\n<p>The campaigns of several Republican elected officials and a former GOP lawmaker have previously manipulated news headlines and article descriptions in Google Search ads to target voters, the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> has found.<\/p>\n<p>The latest unearthed ads come after the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3121882\/democrats-google-search-ads-falsify-news-headlines-past-harris-campaign\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>reported<\/a> several Democrats engaged in the same tactic, including the Senate campaigns of Reps. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) and Adam Schiff (D-CA), and the campaign arm of Senate Democrats.<\/p>\n<p><em>Axios<\/em> earlier this week <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2024\/08\/13\/harris-campaign-google-poltical-ads-news-publishers?utm_campaign=editorial&amp;utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_medium=social\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>reported<\/a> Vice President Kamala Harris&rsquo;s campaign has taken advantage of the scheme on an even greater level, which involves promoting real news links on Google searches but changing the headline and description previews to appear more favorable.<\/p>\n<p>A review of Google&rsquo;s Ad Transparency Center shows the campaigns of Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Mike Braun (R-IN), Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA), Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN), and former Illinois GOP Rep. Rodney Davis used the tactic against political rivals, promoting media stories but crafting their own display headlines and subtexts to either bolster themselves or tarnish their opponents.<\/p>\n<p>The practice is allowed by Google and used across the political spectrum. But critics, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/america-first-legal-demands-justice-department-release-video-recordings-from-trump-raid\/\" title=\"America First Legal Demands Justice Department Release Video Recordings From Trump Raid\">including news outlets<\/a>, say the scheme is deceptive to voters seeking more information about candidates or issues. Facebook, in&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/business\/help\/103043593796161?id=250502925955301\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>an effort<\/a>&nbsp;to &ldquo;stop the spread of misinformation and false news,&rdquo; banned the ability in 2017 of advertisers to alter news headlines.<\/p>\n<p>One campaign that engaged in the practice but declined to comment on the record defended doing so, making the case that its intent is not to mislead and that the changes are in line with the context of linked stories. They deflected blame on Google for not only allowing the practice but allegedly encouraging it by offering campaigns a blank slate for headlines and descriptions when promoting such stories.<\/p>\n<p>In a statement, a Google spokesperson noted each Google Search ad must have disclosures showing the material is sponsored and who it&rsquo;s funded by.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;These ads are explicitly labeled as &lsquo;Sponsored&rsquo; so that they&rsquo;re easily distinguishable from Search results, and they also include &lsquo;paid for by&rsquo; disclosures so it&rsquo;s clear to users who paid for them,&rdquo; the spokesperson said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s fairly common for advertisers across the political spectrum to link to external websites, including news sites, in the text of their ad.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Google&rsquo;s explanation was evidently unsatisfactory for WDAY Radio, a local news outlet in Fargo, North Dakota. The Harris campaign used three variations of Google Search ads linking to the family-owned station&rsquo;s website to make it appear it endorsed Harris tapping Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) as her running mate.<\/p>\n<p>WDAY President and Managing Partner Steve Hallstrom told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> they&rsquo;re seeking legal counsel and weighing potential action against the Harris campaign and Google. <\/p>\n<p>In a Google Search ad last month, Blackburn&rsquo;s campaign promoted a story from the conservative <em>Tennessee Star<\/em> to whack primary rival Tres Wittum for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennessean.com\/story\/opinion\/editorials\/2024\/07\/01\/tennessee-election-congress-tres-wittum-senate\/74271510007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"endorsing \">endorsing <\/a>a clearer pathway to citizenship for migrants. The ad&rsquo;s fictitious headline <a href=\"https:\/\/adstransparency.google.com\/advertiser\/AR02323488384133103617\/creative\/CR02585659613152018433?region=US&amp;topic=political\">read<\/a> &ldquo;Tres Wittum supports illegals,&rdquo; along with the description &ldquo;Wittum supports illegal immigration. He wants illegals to become citizens in Tennessee.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Wittum said in an interview he was aware of the ad.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s dishonest, manipulative, and shameful, but I think those three words sum up the United States Senate and their integrity at this moment,&rdquo; Wittum said. &ldquo;In a world of artificial intelligence and deep fake where things can be so manipulated, people are looking for authenticity.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Blackburn defeated Wittum in the GOP primary this week with nearly 90% of the vote.<\/p>\n<p>Banks, who&rsquo;s running for Braun&rsquo;s Indiana Senate seat that Braun is vacating to run for governor, used Google Search ads five times in the past year to take on former Republican Senate hopeful John Rust.<\/p>\n<p>Rust&rsquo;s family-owned company was convicted last year of price-gouging the cost of eggs. Banks&rsquo;s campaign made it appear in the <a href=\"https:\/\/adstransparency.google.com\/advertiser\/AR02932157611585306625\/creative\/CR13399092245940928513?region=US&amp;topic=political&amp;platform=SEARCH\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>ads<\/a> as though the <em>Indiana Capital Chronicle<\/em> urged readers &ldquo;don&rsquo;t trust John Rust!&rdquo; Other <a href=\"https:\/\/adstransparency.google.com\/advertiser\/AR02932157611585306625\/creative\/CR03237340773410144257?region=US&amp;topic=political&amp;platform=SEARCH\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>ads<\/a> made it seem like the conservative <em>Breitbart<\/em> wrote &ldquo;Liberal John Rust doesn&rsquo;t care about Americans&rdquo; or that Rust was dubbed by the outlet &ldquo;RINO John Rust.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Another <a href=\"https:\/\/adstransparency.google.com\/advertiser\/AR02932157611585306625\/creative\/CR02187646162062802945?region=US&amp;topic=political&amp;platform=SEARCH\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"ad \">ad <\/a>bore a nonexistent headline from <em>Georgia Law News <\/em>saying &ldquo;Acknowledge Laken Riley,&rdquo; a reference to the Georgia nursing student who was killed allegedly by an immigrant who was in the United States illegally.<\/p>\n<p>In his 2022 reelection, Kemp&rsquo;s campaign included in <a href=\"https:\/\/adstransparency.google.com\/advertiser\/AR09012178255708422145\/creative\/CR01664913904444112897?region=US&amp;topic=political\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>an ad<\/a> only the first few words of a lengthy <em>Washington Post<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/politics\/perdue-outsourcing-trump\/2020\/12\/30\/29242e28-4084-11eb-a402-fba110db3b42_story.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"headline \">headline <\/a>to take on his then-primary opponent, former Sen. David Perdue (R-GA): &ldquo;Sen. Perdue Became Wealthy.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Braun, in his 2018 election, and Davis, in his 2022 primary that he ultimately lost, both altered <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> stories to promote themselves.<\/p>\n<p>Description text of <a href=\"https:\/\/adstransparency.google.com\/advertiser\/AR05499370546359435265\/creative\/CR02471372698068975617?region=US&amp;topic=political\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>a Braun ad<\/a>, which appeared nowhere in an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/1649051\/republican-activists-applaud-mike-braun-for-pre-existing-conditions-pledge\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>original story<\/a> about him supporting medical insurance companies having to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bidens-one-hundred-days-of-hubris\/\" title=\"Biden\u2019s One Hundred Days of Hubris\">cover preexisting conditions<\/a>, stated, &ldquo;Mike Braun supported covering pre-existing conditions, before it&rsquo;s cool. He didn&rsquo;t wait for Washington and won&rsquo;t as your Senator.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Davis, who was unseated by Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL), used a <a href=\"https:\/\/adstransparency.google.com\/advertiser\/AR16070947523396632577\/creative\/CR18122720608344080385?region=US&amp;topic=political&amp;format=TEXT\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>description <\/a>to make it appear a story called him &ldquo;a champion in Congress for our troops&rdquo; and that &ldquo;his opponent turned her back.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Former President Donald Trump touched briefly on the advertising scheme this week in light of its use by the Harris campaign, questioning its legality in a post on Truth Social. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Wow! Google and the Harris Campaign are manipulating stories. Is this legal?&rdquo; Trump wrote. <\/p>\n<p>The <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> reached out to Blackburn, Banks, Kemp, Davis, Braun, Miller, <em>Breitbart<\/em>, <em>Washington Post<\/em>, and the <em>Indiana Capital Chronicle<\/em> for comment. <em>Georgia Law News<\/em> could not be reached.<\/p>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1731526\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1731526\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Manipulating news headlines for political advantage is a practice seen across party lines. Both Republican and Democratic campaigns have shown a tendency to modify news headlines in order to appeal to voters. Investigations by the Washington Examiner revealed that various Republican officials and a former GOP representative have previously adjusted news headlines and article summaries in Google Search ads aimed at voters. This follows earlier reports of similar tactics employed by Democrats, including Senate campaigns for Reps. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) and Adam Schiff (D-CA), as well as the Senate Democrats&#8217; campaign committee. Axios recently highlighted that Vice President Kamala Harris&#8217;s campaign has utilized this strategy even more extensively, promoting legitimate news links on Google searches while altering the headline and description previews to present a more favorable image.<\/p>\n<p>A review of Google&#8217;s Ad Transparency Center indicates that campaigns for Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Mike Braun (R-IN), Governor Brian Kemp (R-GA), Representative Jim Banks (R-IN), and former Illinois GOP Representative Rodney Davis have all used this tactic against their political opponents, showcasing media stories but crafting their own display titles and descriptions to enhance their image or damage their rivals&#8217;. While Google permits this practice, critics\u2014including media organizations\u2014argue it misleads voters seeking accurate information about candidates or issues.<\/p>\n<p>In contrast, Facebook banned advertisers from changing news headlines in 2017 as part of its efforts to combat misinformation. One campaign involved in this practice defended it by claiming that its intent was not misleading; they argued that the changes were relevant to the context of linked articles while shifting responsibility onto Google for allowing such practices.<\/p>\n<p>A spokesperson from Google stated that all ads must clearly disclose sponsorship details so users can distinguish them from regular search results. However, local outlet WDAY Radio expressed dissatisfaction with Google&#8217;s explanation after Harris&#8217;s campaign ran ads linking to its website, suggesting an endorsement of her choice of running mate.<\/p>\n<p>For instance, Blackburn\u2019s campaign used an ad featuring a misleading headline about her primary opponent Tres Wittum regarding immigration policy. Wittum criticized the ad as dishonest manipulation reflecting poorly on Senate integrity overall.<\/p>\n<p>Similarly, Banks targeted former Republican candidate John Rust through deceptive ads implying negative endorsements from various outlets regarding Rust\u2019s business practices related to egg pricing during inflationary times.<\/p>\n<p>Kemp&#8217;s previous advertising also included selective editing of Washington Post headlines against his then-opponent David Perdue (R-GA). Both Braun and Davis similarly altered stories from the Washington Examiner during their respective campaigns for self-promotion purposes.<\/p>\n<p>Former President Donald Trump recently commented on these advertising strategies used by Harris&#8217;s team via Truth Social questioning their legality amidst growing concerns over such manipulative tactics within political campaigning<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3108,"featured_media":2325505,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/republicans-democrats-alter-news-headlines.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[3667,38315,4188,38314],"class_list":["post-2325504","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-bipartisan","tag-campaign-ads","tag-media","tag-news-headlines"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/republicans-democrats-alter-news-headlines.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2325504","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3108"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2325504"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2325504\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2325505"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2325504"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2325504"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2325504"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}