A Media Research Center (MRC) study claims Apple News featured zero articles from right-leaning outlets among 620 top stories in January 2026, while heavily favoring left-leaning sources.
The conservative media watchdog analyzed high-traffic morning feeds from Jan. 1–31, using AllSides media bias ratings (a nonpartisan system with balanced expert panels and public surveys).
Of the 620 stories:
- 440 came from left-leaning outlets.
- 180 came from centrist outlets.
- 0 from right-leaning ones (including Fox News and the New York Post).
- Washington Post: 72 articles
- Associated Press: 54
- NBC News: 50
- Wall Street Journal (centrist): 54
- The Guardian: 34
- NPR: 25
The study also notes Apple News had gone 96 consecutive days (as of Feb. 10, 2026) without featuring a conservative publication in top stories. The last such story was Nov. 5, 2025, from the (lean-right) British outlet The Telegraph.
MRC highlighted that featured headlines often portrayed President Donald Trump’s foreign policy and immigration actions negatively, with "provocative" framing from sources like The Washington Post and NBC News.
Julie Mastrine of AllSides called the results unsurprising, stating that reliance on Big Tech for news denies users balanced perspectives.
Apple's response: A spokesperson said the app provides access to over 3,000 publications, including Fox News, Wall Street Journal, Washington Examiner, New York Post, and others. Users can customize by following or blocking specific sources/topics.
MRC's Dan Schneider emphasized that Apple News comes pre-installed on iPhones (held by nearly half of voting-age Americans) and delivers "cherry-picked" content many users encounter without realizing potential bias.
The analysis focused on editor-curated "top stories" (checked around 8:30–10 a.m. ET), including some original Apple content and sports from The Athletic.
AllSides previously rated Apple News as "lean left" in a 2023 review of aggregators.