Apple News Accused of Anti-GOP Bias in Midterm Election Coverage
Watchdog group reports platform published 84 negative stories about Republican issues with zero positive coverage in the 15 days prior to the midterm elections.
Apple News is facing accusations of bias against Republicans after a media watchdog study found the platform promoted numerous articles negatively framing GOP issues in the lead-up to the midterm elections. The study, conducted by the Media Research Center (MRC), analyzed the top stories pushed by Apple News between September 15 and September 30.
During this 15-day period, the platform featured 117 stories related to GOP-aligned issues. Of these, 84 were framed negatively, 33 had neutral headlines, and none were presented positively. According to the study, readers relying on Apple News would have encountered approximately five stories each day that cast Republican policies in an unfavorable light.
Apple News, which comes pre-installed on all Apple devices, aggregates articles from major publishers to curate a daily feed for users. The MRC study suggests this curation process may lean towards liberal viewpoints, framing conservative-leaning issues negatively.
Luis Cornelio and Madison Van Zant, the MRC researchers who authored the study, stated that their findings represent a "growing body of evidence that the platform’s editors continue to curate its feeds to push a left-wing political agenda." They noted that immigration stories were often framed through the lens of court defeats and deportations, while economic coverage focused on high gas prices and cost of living concerns. Foreign policy issues were reportedly portrayed by highlighting perceived adversaries and through support for police abolition.
Lauren Kern, editor-in-chief of Apple News since 2017, previously held executive positions at New York Magazine and The New York Times Magazine. In a 2018 interview with The New York Times, Kern described Apple News's algorithm as meticulous and emphasized the care her team put into curation, stating, "It’s seen by a lot of people, and we take that responsibility really seriously."
Media commentator David Bozell criticized the platform's coverage, comparing its editors to a bartender who "waters down only one party's drinks." He expressed concern about the potential impact on voters who rely on the app for news. "Apple News ran 84 negative headlines on Republican priorities and zero positive ones. Zero!" Bozell stated.
The accusations of bias come as Republicans faced the prospect of a challenging midterm election, with polls indicating potential struggles for the GOP. President Trump had been actively campaigning to support Republican candidates in key races, with some of his rallies experiencing disruptions from protesters.