Fox News hosts Martha MacCallum and Bill Hemmer went on the attack against Vice President Kamala Harris and her presidential campaign on Wednesday, accusing them of using underhanded tactics to manipulate Google search results. The hosts specifically targeted the campaign’s use of edited headlines from news outlets in sponsored ads that appear alongside search results.
MacCallum and Hemmer claimed that this tactic was “cheating” and could potentially influence voters who are looking for accurate information on candidates’ positions. They pointed out that the Harris campaign had altered headlines from reputable outlets such as CNN, NPR, and Reuters to make them appear favorable towards Harris.
Co-host Dana Perino, a former White House press secretary, chimed in to agree with Hemmer’s assessment. MacCallum then went on to explain how the campaign’s use of edited headlines could be misleading, as the second line of the ad contained a campaign slogan or statement rather than a factual news headline.
The Fox News hosts also questioned Google’s role in this situation, with MacCallum revealing that Google has claimed there was a glitch in their system that made it difficult for users to distinguish between the ads and actual news stories. However, they also acknowledged that the news organizations themselves may not have been aware that their articles were being used in this manner.
MacCallum further criticized the use of manipulated soundbites, using the example of a recent interview between Elon Musk and Donald Trump. She stated that such manipulation of information is devious and requires diligence from the public to ensure they are getting accurate information.
Hemmer brought up the heightened threat from Iran and their potential attempts to use bots to influence people online. He warned that the Harris campaign’s actions could only add to the confusion and manipulation of information that is already rampant on the internet.
That's Cheating': Fox News Hosts React To Kamala Campaign's 'Manipulative' Google Search Tactic pic.twitter.com/S4gv7wzi8y
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The hosts also pointed out that Harris is currently ahead by a small margin in a head-to-head matchup with former President Trump, using this as evidence that the Democratic candidate is resorting to deceptive tactics.
The Fox News hosts strongly condemned the Harris campaign’s use of manipulated headlines in Google search ads, calling it “very subtle” and “manipulative.” They also raised concerns about the potential impact this could have on the upcoming election, warning viewers to be diligent in their search for accurate information.