News/Commentary

CNN shill says nothing ‘unethical’ about Kamala camp’s fake headlines, suggests readers are to blame if they fall for it

August 15, 2024 | | Print Article

Left-wing media pundits continue to twist themselves into pretzels trying to carry water for Vice President Kamala Harris.

And in the latest effort to cover up for the manipulation of headlines for Google ads, a CNN discussion saw a desperate attempt to claim none of it was “unethical.”

Former White House Communications Director Kate Bedingfield weighed in on the controversial reports that Harris’s campaign used Google ads to manipulate news stories, giving positive coverage for the Democrat ticket.

Axios reported that the Harris campaign “has been editing news headlines and descriptions within Google search ads that make it appear as if the Guardian, Reuters, CBS News, and other major publishers are on her side.”

Notably, it was reported that former President Donald Trump’s election campaign is not using the seemingly deceptive practice.

Organizations including CNN, USA Today, and NPR were reportedly unaware that their articles were being used to boost Harris’s election campaign.

Media talking heads did their level best to make it all seem perfectly normal, downplaying the criticism.

“Well, this is part of paid advertising,” Bedingfield said matter-of-factly during a discussion on CNN, citing the “sponsored content” disclaimers on the posts that fall in this category.

“This is something that the search engines do, it’s part of the way they generate ad revenue,” she continued. “There’s nothing about it that, you know, violates their terms or is in any way unethical. This is the way paid advertising works.”

“It is incumbent on the viewer, the reader, the consumer to have a discerning eye,” Bedingfield contended after struggling to explain.

Axios noted in its report that “Google argues that because ads on Search are prominently labeled as ‘Sponsored,’ they’re ‘easily distinguishable from Search results.’”

The company reportedly feels the disclosures are sufficient in offering readers transparency but,” media companies whose brands are being associated with political messages in unexpected ways, may feel differently,” the outlet noted.

Social media users weighed in on Bedingfield’s awkward defense of the practice.

Frieda Powers
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