A Guardian spokesperson said: “While we understand why an organisation would want to identify with the Guardian’s trusted brand, we need to ensure it is used appropriately and with our permission.
“We will reach out to Google for more information about this practice.”
Another campaign ad, which linked to the US website of National Public Radio (NPR), stated: “Harris will lower health care costs.” Axios reported that the accompanying text read: “Kamala Harris will lower the cost of high-quality, affordable health care.” This, too, did not reflect NPR’s reporting.
Spokespeople for NPR, CNN and USA Today, whose links appeared in the “Harris for President” ads, told Axios they had no knowledge their brands were being presented in this way.
Reuters, CBS News and Associated Press were also among the nearly a dozen news organizations targeted since August 3, according to Axios.
Google stated that this tactic did not violate any regulations because the ads were clearly marked as “sponsored” and therefore “easily distinguishable from search results.”
A Google spokesperson said: “Election advertisers are required to undergo identity verification and we display prominent disclosures in ads that clearly show who paid for the ad.”
