New Study of 620 Stories Reveals Allegations of Left-Leaning Bias in Apple News
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Recent findings from the Media Research Center (MRC), a conservative watchdog group, have raised eyebrows regarding the content curation practices of Apple’s news app. The study analyzed 620 articles featured prominently on Apple News during January 2023, revealing a significant bias towards left-leaning news outlets.
According to the MRC, a staggering 440 of the 620 stories came from sources identified as left-leaning, while only 180 were from centrist outlets. Notably, right-leaning publications, including The Post, were entirely excluded from the featured articles. The data showed that Apple News highlighted 72 articles from the Washington Post, 54 from the Associated Press, and 50 from NBC News, among others. In stark contrast, both The Post and Fox News received zero mentions during the same period.
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The Media Research Center found a whopping 440 out of 620 Apple News stories studied came from left-leaning outlets. (Sean Gallup/Getty Images / Getty Images)
The MRC’s analysis utilized media bias ratings from AllSides, a nonpartisan organization that employs a multi-partisan panel of experts to evaluate media bias. This panel includes two members from the left, two from the center, and two from the right, all trained to identify bias. They also conduct blind surveys of the general public to create an average rating.
While AllSides did not participate in the MRC study, Julie Mastrine, director of their media bias rating system, expressed that she was “not surprised at all” by the findings. “The bottom line is that Americans relying on these Big Tech companies for news are not getting a balanced view,” she stated.
VARNEY: BIASED MEDIA NEEDS A COMPLETE CULTURE CHANGE
In response to the study, an Apple spokesperson emphasized that the News app offers a wide range of topics from over 3,000 publications, including well-known names like the Wall Street Journal and CBS News. They also noted that users can customize their experience by following or blocking specific publications.
However, the MRC highlighted that Apple News has not featured any stories from conservative publications in its top stories for 96 consecutive days as of the report’s release. This raises concerns about the diversity of perspectives available to users.
MRC alleged that Apple News “broadly focused on President Donald Trump’s foreign policy and immigration policy in negative ways” during the analysis period. (Al Drago/Getty Images / Getty Images)
The MRC has been tracking news aggregator data since November, noting that the last article from a right-leaning source on Apple News was published on November 5, 2022. This article was from The Telegraph, discussing the Civil War in Sudan.
During the analysis, MRC observed that Apple News predominantly highlighted negative narratives surrounding President Trump’s foreign and immigration policies, often selecting provocative headlines that cast doubt on his actions.
Dan Schneider from MRC pointed out that nearly half of voting-age Americans own an iPhone, which comes pre-installed with Apple News. “Most people don’t even know they are being fed a steady stream of leftist narratives,” he remarked.
In a separate study conducted by AllSides in 2023, Apple News was rated as “lean left,” with only Yahoo News and Bing News showing a stronger liberal bias in their story curation.
From January 1 to January 12, MRC tracked the top 20 stories from AllSides-rated news outlets on Apple News. They continued this tracking from January 12 to January 31, adjusting the time of their checks for consistency.
The 620 articles included in the MRC’s January analysis featured 30 stories from The Athletic, a sports site owned by the New York Times, which ceased participation with Apple News in 2020. The count also included 27 pieces of original Apple content, primarily links to its “Apple News Today” daily podcast.
Schneider described the situation as a “subliminal form of propaganda,” suggesting that it could be illegal given the lack of transparency regarding corporate funding.
MRC’s Dan Schneider told the New York Post that Apple News’ behavior “is a subliminal form of propaganda.” (iStock / iStock)
These allegations pose a significant challenge for Apple and CEO Tim Cook, especially as federal regulators, appointed by Trump, are increasingly scrutinizing media bias in Big Tech. In February 2024, FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson initiated an inquiry into tech censorship, aiming to understand how these companies may have violated laws by silencing dissenting voices.
The FTC has also approved a major merger between advertising giants Omnicom and Interpublic, contingent upon their commitment to avoid politically-motivated ad boycotts in the future.
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In a related development, FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr, a staunch Trump supporter, criticized Jimmy Kimmel for inflammatory remarks regarding conservative influencer Charlie Kirk. This week, Carr’s FCC also launched an investigation into ABC’s “The View” to determine if it has violated rules requiring equal airtime for political candidates.
Fitz-Gerald Group CIO Keith Fitz-Gerald breaks down anticipated earning reports and gives his outlooks for Apple and Tesla on ‘Varney & Co.’
Recent findings from the Media Research Center (MRC), a conservative watchdog group, have raised eyebrows regarding the content curation practices of Apple’s news app. The study analyzed 620 articles featured prominently on Apple News during January 2023, revealing a significant bias towards left-leaning news outlets.
According to the MRC, a staggering 440 of the 620 stories came from sources identified as left-leaning, while only 180 were from centrist outlets. Notably, right-leaning publications, including The Post, were entirely excluded from the featured articles. The data showed that Apple News highlighted 72 articles from the Washington Post, 54 from the Associated Press, and 50 from NBC News, among others. In stark contrast, both The Post and Fox News received zero mentions during the same period.
GOOGLE, APPLE URGED BY HOUSE COMMITTEE TO PULL APPS TRACKING ICE AGENTS
The Media Research Center found a whopping 440 out of 620 Apple News stories studied came from left-leaning outlets. (Sean Gallup/Getty Images / Getty Images)
The MRC’s analysis utilized media bias ratings from AllSides, a nonpartisan organization that employs a multi-partisan panel of experts to evaluate media bias. This panel includes two members from the left, two from the center, and two from the right, all trained to identify bias. They also conduct blind surveys of the general public to create an average rating.
While AllSides did not participate in the MRC study, Julie Mastrine, director of their media bias rating system, expressed that she was “not surprised at all” by the findings. “The bottom line is that Americans relying on these Big Tech companies for news are not getting a balanced view,” she stated.
VARNEY: BIASED MEDIA NEEDS A COMPLETE CULTURE CHANGE
In response to the study, an Apple spokesperson emphasized that the News app offers a wide range of topics from over 3,000 publications, including well-known names like the Wall Street Journal and CBS News. They also noted that users can customize their experience by following or blocking specific publications.
However, the MRC highlighted that Apple News has not featured any stories from conservative publications in its top stories for 96 consecutive days as of the report’s release. This raises concerns about the diversity of perspectives available to users.
MRC alleged that Apple News “broadly focused on President Donald Trump’s foreign policy and immigration policy in negative ways” during the analysis period. (Al Drago/Getty Images / Getty Images)
The MRC has been tracking news aggregator data since November, noting that the last article from a right-leaning source on Apple News was published on November 5, 2022. This article was from The Telegraph, discussing the Civil War in Sudan.
During the analysis, MRC observed that Apple News predominantly highlighted negative narratives surrounding President Trump’s foreign and immigration policies, often selecting provocative headlines that cast doubt on his actions.
Dan Schneider from MRC pointed out that nearly half of voting-age Americans own an iPhone, which comes pre-installed with Apple News. “Most people don’t even know they are being fed a steady stream of leftist narratives,” he remarked.
In a separate study conducted by AllSides in 2023, Apple News was rated as “lean left,” with only Yahoo News and Bing News showing a stronger liberal bias in their story curation.
From January 1 to January 12, MRC tracked the top 20 stories from AllSides-rated news outlets on Apple News. They continued this tracking from January 12 to January 31, adjusting the time of their checks for consistency.
The 620 articles included in the MRC’s January analysis featured 30 stories from The Athletic, a sports site owned by the New York Times, which ceased participation with Apple News in 2020. The count also included 27 pieces of original Apple content, primarily links to its “Apple News Today” daily podcast.
Schneider described the situation as a “subliminal form of propaganda,” suggesting that it could be illegal given the lack of transparency regarding corporate funding.
MRC’s Dan Schneider told the New York Post that Apple News’ behavior “is a subliminal form of propaganda.” (iStock / iStock)
These allegations pose a significant challenge for Apple and CEO Tim Cook, especially as federal regulators, appointed by Trump, are increasingly scrutinizing media bias in Big Tech. In February 2024, FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson initiated an inquiry into tech censorship, aiming to understand how these companies may have violated laws by silencing dissenting voices.
The FTC has also approved a major merger between advertising giants Omnicom and Interpublic, contingent upon their commitment to avoid politically-motivated ad boycotts in the future.
GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE
In a related development, FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr, a staunch Trump supporter, criticized Jimmy Kimmel for inflammatory remarks regarding conservative influencer Charlie Kirk. This week, Carr’s FCC also launched an investigation into ABC’s “The View” to determine if it has violated rules requiring equal airtime for political candidates.
