New Study Reveal Apple News App Source Bias

AllSides, a nonpartisan media bias rating organization, released an updated analysis in February 2026 showing that Apple News continues to exhibit a clear left-leaning bias in its editor-curated sections. The study, based on data collected in October 2025, found that 50% of featured articles came from left-leaning outlets, while only 2% came from right-leaning ones—and zero right-leaning sources appeared in the prominent "Top Stories" section.

This pattern reinforces findings from AllSides' earlier 2023 research and has drawn criticism for potentially limiting users' exposure to diverse viewpoints on the widely used platform.The analysis examined 166 articles from Apple News' non-personalized, editor-selected "Top Stories" (82 articles) and "Trending Stories" (84 articles), captured daily at 10:00 a.m. ET from October 6–19, 2025. Each source was classified using AllSides' established Media Bias Ratings, which combine blind bias surveys, multipartisan editorial reviews, community input, and independent evaluations.

Key results highlighted a strong skew:

• Overall: 50% left-leaning (16% Left + 34% Lean Left), 23% Center, 2% right-leaning (1% Lean Right + 2% Right), and 24% not rated.
• Top Stories: 54% left-leaning (5% Left + 49% Lean Left), 35% Center, 0% right-leaning, and 11% not rated.
• Trending Stories: 46% left-leaning (26% Left + 20% Lean Left), 12% Center, 5% right-leaning, and 37% not rated.

Frequently appearing outlets included The Wall Street Journal (Center), Washington Post (Lean Left), HuffPost (Left), and NBC News Digital (Lean Left). Right-leaning sources were rare, with Fox News Digital (Right) appearing just three times and The Telegraph (Lean Right) once.Compared to the 2023 study (which found 53% left-leaning, 25% Center, and 1% right-leaning across 252 articles), the 2025 results showed only slight changes—a 3% drop in left-leaning sources and a 1% increase in right-leaning ones—partly due to updated bias ratings for some outlets (e.g., The Guardian moving from Lean Left to Left).

AllSides described the curation as continuing to disproportionately favor left-leaning perspectives in Apple-controlled sections, which could contribute to echo chambers for default users. 

The report remains factual and does not claim intentional bias, focusing instead on observable patterns in editorial choices. It has been covered by outlets like the New York Post and Fox Business, amid broader debates on tech platforms' role in news distribution.