The Big Four news apps, Apple News, Google News, MSN, and Yahoo News, are profoundly shaping public perception of two major crises: the ongoing Iran war and the prolonged Democrat-led defunding of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
A recent Media Research Center (MRC) analysis, discussed by President David Bozell on the Morning Wire podcast, reveals extreme bias. These platforms overwhelmingly promote left-leaning outlets while excluding or minimizing conservative sources, starving millions of balanced views on critical national security issues.
Bozell called out Apple News for overwhelming left-wing bias in it's story selection.
.@DavidBozell torches Apple News on @MorningWire: From 0 right-leaning stories to just 8. That’s supposed to be progress, a pathetic 2% improvement.
— Media Research Center (@theMRC) March 23, 2026
Meanwhile, conservatives are breaking major stories every day — without the help of these corrupt news apps. pic.twitter.com/prpWIb17Nl
On the Iran war, sympathetic framing dominates. Bozell cited a Washington Post obituary portraying the Ayatollah Khamenei as a "bushy-bearded lover of poetry, "content amplified to Apple's 125 million monthly users. Such narratives, pushed via these apps, foster negative views of U.S. operations amid civilian casualties and regional fallout.
MRC President @DavidBozell calls out Apple News for being in bed with the leftist media on @MorningWire:
— Media Research Center (@theMRC) March 23, 2026
"It's no surprise the Democrats are emboldened to shut down DHS because they know their message is being broadcast to hundreds of millions of people per month for free." pic.twitter.com/ScmGM25NlO
The DHS shutdown, now stretching over a month due to Senate Democrats blocking funding bills tied to immigration enforcement reforms (impacting ICE, TSA, and border security during heightened threats), receives scant, one-sided coverage. MRC found the Big Four featured only about 1% of stories on the shutdown (28 out of nearly 2,000 top slots from Feb. 14–March 14), with zero from right-leaning outlets on Apple News. Google News avoided blaming Democrats in headlines, while MSN and Yahoo offered minimal or none. This echoes earlier patterns: outlets like the Minnesota Star-Tribune surged via repeated app links with anti-ICE headlines, boosting anti-enforcement sentiment.
Bozell argued this systemic exclusion, despite conservative outlets breaking stories, allows legacy media to dictate narratives unchallenged. With Democrats emboldened and public support cratering on these issues, the apps' gatekeeping acts as "free" amplification for one side, undermining informed discourse on war and homeland security at a pivotal moment.
