The quiet power of curation…
A study by the Media Research Center reports that Apple’s News app has been aggressively promoting left-leaning outlets while effectively excluding right-leaning publications from its most prominent placements.
The group examined 620 stories featured in high-traffic morning time slots between Jan. 1 and Jan. 31. The Apple News feed, it noted, is a mix of editor-curated selections and algorithmic recommendations — human judgment and machine logic, blended into a single stream.
Of those 620 stories, 440 came from outlets rated as left-leaning. The remaining 180 were from centrist outlets. According to the study, none — zero — of the top-story placements it tracked came from right-leaning outlets, including the New York Post and Fox News.
The numbers are stark. During the month in question, Apple News featured 72 stories from The Washington Post, 54 from the Associated Press, 50 from NBC News, 34 from The Guardian and 25 from NPR. It also featured 54 stories from The Wall Street Journal. The counts for the New York Post and Fox News were 0 and 0.
To classify outlets, MRC relied on ratings from AllSides, which says it uses expert editorial reviews and blind surveys to assess perceived bias. AllSides’ media-bias ratings director, Julie Mastrine, said she was “not surprised at all” by the findings.
“The bottom line is that Americans that are relying on these Big Tech companies to provide them with news are not getting a balanced view and they’re not getting the full scope of perspectives available,” Mastrine said.
Apple pushed back. In a statement, the company said the News app “provides access to news spanning a wide range of topics from more than 3,000 publications including the Wall Street Journal, Fox News, Bloomberg, USA Today, Washington Examiner, New York Post, CBS News, local outlets, and more.”
“Apple News users can tailor the app to their interests by choosing to follow or block specific publications or topics,” the spokesperson added.
The MRC study also claimed that, as of Monday, Apple News had gone 96 consecutive days without showcasing a story from a conservative publication in its Top Stories.
In an age when platforms insist they are merely neutral conduits, the morning feed carries quiet weight. What is elevated, what is absent, and what appears ordinary can shape the national mood without a single raised voice.
Apple News boosts left-leaning news outlets, shuts out conservative sources: watchdog https://t.co/vMNfWK45TN
— FOX Business (@FoxBusiness) February 10, 2026
