Spokespeople for brands such as CNN, USA Today and NPR, whose links appeared in Harris for President ads, said they were unaware their brand was being featured this way.
The ads include links to real articles from the news outlets, but the headlines and supporting text have been altered to read as though the articles support the Harris campaign's objectives.
For example, an ad that ran alongside an article from The Guardian shows a headline that reads "VP Harris Fights Abortion Bans - Harris Defends Repro Freedom" and then includes supporting text underneath the headline that reads, "VP Harris is a champion for reproductive freedom and will stop Trump's abortion bans."
Ghost archive: https://ghostarchive.org/archive/WOmNW
Dot Org: https://web.archive.org/web/20240813190136/https://www.axios.com/2024/08/13/harris-campaign-google-poltical-ads-news-publishers
"We were unaware, but we're okay with it because vote blue no matter who."
Meanwhile "Russia hacked the election" after a 5 digit ad spend on Facebook.