The reporter who exposed the story claims that the Harris campaign did not engage in any wrongdoing by manipulating headlines in Google ads.

The reporter who exposed that the Kamala Harris campaign is running Google ads with manipulated headlines and descriptions of actual news stories believes the vice president's camp did not commit any wrongdoing.

According to Axios, the Harris campaign has published sponsored posts on social media with altered headlines from various news organizations, including CNN, NPR, Reuters, AP, CBS News, The Guardian, and TIME. These manipulated headlines present a pro-Harris spin that was not originally written by the outlets and links to the actual articles without their knowledge.

According to Axios reporter Sara Fischer, while it is a common practice in commercial advertising to mimic real news results from Search, this has caught news outlets off guard.

Fischer's story garnered significant attention, and she was met with a deluge of negative liberal responses to her initial X post about the piece. Later, she faced criticism from conservatives after using X to clarify that the Harris team had not committed any wrongdoing.

Fischer wrote that Google, despite being strict on banning spammy ads, does not view Harris camp's actions as causing consumer harm. News outlets are merely collateral damage in this unusual advertising strategy.

Fischer's feedback was criticized by many conservatives and journalism professionals, who claimed she was undermining her own scoop due to liberal pressure. However, Fischer clarified that her statement only referred to the Harris campaign not violating the tech giant's guidelines.

She informed Planet Chronicle Digital that the statement was intended to indicate that they had not breached any of Google's guidelines, and she emphasized that she was not pressured to provide further clarification by the Harris campaign.

Glenn Greenwald, a frequent critic of the mainstream media, wrote on X that he was shocked when Axios published an investigation reflecting negatively on Kamala's campaign. However, the reporter, @sarafischer, was attacked for doing it, and she immediately denigrated her own scoop, saying it was no big deal and Kamala did nothing wrong.

Fischer's report states that an ad with a link to The Guardian displayed the headline "VP Harris Fights Abortion Bans - Harris Defends Repro Freedom" and a description that read "VP Harris is a champion for reproductive freedom and will stop Trump's abortion bans."

Kamala Harris will make healthcare more affordable and accessible.

The Biden-Harris administration is successfully combating inflation in the United States.

Multiple news organizations have confirmed to Planet Chronicle Digital that they were unaware their articles were being used in that manner.

The Guardian's spokesperson informed Axios that they understand why an organization may want to align with their brand, but they need to ensure it is used appropriately and with their permission. They will contact Google for more information about this practice.

Google's ad transparency center has been cited by Axios as stating that "the Trump campaign isn't running these types of ads, but this technique has been used by campaigns before."

According to Axios, Google claims that the "Sponsored" label makes their ads easily distinguishable from search results, and their practice does not violate their ad policies.

The New Republic, even the left-wing one, was taken aback by the Harris campaign's tactics, but the approach may ultimately prove to be a gambit that lacks an actual advantage as it potentially undermines trust in the news.

This report was contributed to by David Rutz and Joseph Wulfsohn of Planet Chronicle Digital.