Apple News is an aggregation app run by human curators and algorithmic feeds, but a poorly handled study failed to catch the right-wing outlets shared, and now the FTC is involved.
Whether or not the FTC can claim jurisdiction over what content can be highlighted by an independent editorial team might be up for debate, but the content of the Apple News app is not. Right-leaning outlets are sometimes featured in the curated Top Stories and Spotlight sections, but one study somehow missed that.
The study was cited by various right-wing outlets and shared by the President on his personal social media platform, but none detailed exactly how the study arrived at its conclusion. The report has now led to Trump-appointed FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson to send a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook to warn him that Apple could be in violation of a law.
Today I sent a letter to Tim Cook expressing my concerns about allegations that Apple News has, unbeknownst to its users, systematically promoted news articles from left-wing news outlets and suppressed content from conservative publications. pic.twitter.com/xXCxNgRbpc
— Andrew Ferguson (@AFergusonFTC) February 11, 2026
The freedom of speech and press apparently doesn't apply when discussing a news aggregator owned by a tech company, though such a suggestion would have to stand up in the court of law. Ferguson claims Apple could be found in violation of attempting to manipulate its customers with left-leaning views and propaganda.
Specifically, he cites Section 5 of the FTC Act which "prohibits unfair or deceptive acts or practices" including "material misrepresentations and material omissions." The argument is that Apple claims neutrality in its terms of service, and this report is evidence that it doesn't.
Of course, this is all based on a report that isn't fully representative of Apple News, so there's likely not much of a case here. Let's dive into the study.
Right-winged watchdog cries wolf
Apparently, a free speech and censorship watchdog called MRC released a study where they opened Apple News each day in January, at either 10:30 a.m. or 8:30 a.m. and noted which outlets held the top news stories slots. The group's executive team is a series of right-winged folks with backgrounds in politics and business, and their website seems to be a combination of extreme headlines and sliver dollar sales.
A graphic from the flawed study showing Apple News bias. Image source: MRC
The study, on its face, is flawed. It claimed to use the AllSides Media Bias Chart to qualify which outlets were left or right-leaning, then listed which notable outlets were considered.
The study said that it looked for outlets like Daily Mail and New York Post, which both publish on the platform. However, the study also said it looked for content from Breitbart or The Gateway — neither of which publish on Apple News.
The methodology was very odd, as it could mean that if the Fox News evening posts were featured, they'd be missed by the study's morning check. A brief glance as of this writing shows a Fox News story in the featured section that was published around 5 p.m. ET.
Deeper exploration of the Apple News app shows its editors do share right-winged biased media in "Apple News Top Stories," even during the timeframe of the study. Even the email newsletter and "Apple News Spotlight," that is heavily curated, contains Fox News regularly.
The Top Stories section also contained posts from The Wall Street Journal, which is listed as right-leaning on the media bias chart, at least for its opinion section.
Apple's editorial team stays on topic
Apple hasn't shared how it picks its stories for its Top Stories section, but from my use of Apple News, it always seems on topic with what the world is discussing. There's also the Politics tab in Apple News, which prominently features stories from places like The Free Press.
Apple News Top Stories features a variety of publications
The surface-level study also didn't share that center and left-of-center outlets primarily use Apple News versus right-leaning ones. Of the most extreme outlets, only a few use Apple News out of the long list.
Also, the time period of the study was an incredibly charged period of time in the United States. Discussions swirled around the removal of US historic landmarks, the anniversary of the January 6 riot, and the increasing ICE activity in the United States.
During that time, outlets like Fox News were posting highly controversial and unpopular, if not outright inflammatory, stories about the goings-on. Apple News may or may not have a bias, but it clearly wants to present information that doesn't contradict reality.
It also doesn't help that the study took place during a period of time when Republican policy and the US President's approval ratings are at an all-time low. The right-leaning outlets try to avoid that, which is the news of the moment, and thus get left out of the conversation.
Whatever the reason, the study appears shortsighted and limited in scope. The FTC Chair jumping on the bandwagon was expected, but it isn't clear what effect it may have.
An investigation and a lawsuit are possible, but Tim Cook could wave another few billion in the air and make it all go away too. Or, if Apple feels pressured by the FTC, it wouldn't take much to ensure a moderate story from the right-wing outlets gets featured more often.
It's a news aggregator, use it
Whatever your political views, you can easily customize Apple News to show you whatever you want. Customize the algorithm by using thumbs up and thumbs down, bookmark stories, and block entire channels if you want.
More importantly, if you want Apple News to only show you publications you follow and remove all of Apple's editorial content, there's a way to do that.
Go to the Settings app, select Apps at the very bottom of the list, select Apple News, then toggle "Restrict Stories in Today." That will make everything but what you follow go away, but it's a much more limited experience overall.
Of course, if you don't like what Apple News editors share, you can always use one of the many other news aggregators and RSS apps in the App Store. Apple isn't forcing the app or its contents on anyone and it is easily deleted from your device.
