A new Media Research Center analysis found that Apple News has been targeting GOP issues with negative coverage, raising the question: Is Apple engaging in election interference in the lead-up to the midterms?
Just weeks before the midterm elections, Apple News promoted more than 80 stories with headlines that negatively framed the issues Republicans care about most, a stark contrast to the complete absence of stories with headlines portraying those same issues in a positive light.
The MRC analysis, spanning Apple News’s top 20 stories each morning, found that Republican voters relying on Apple News for information were fed about five stories per day that negatively characterized their top 10 policy priorities, including immigration, law and order, drug enforcement and others.
This review adds to MRC's growing body of evidence that the platform’s editors continue to curate its feeds to push a left-wing political agenda, even as the news app faces scrutiny from the Trump administration. Bozell decried the editorial decisions of Apple News, saying the news app and its multi-trillion-dollar corporation are attempting to interfere with the midterm elections.
“Apple News ran 84 negative headlines on Republican priorities and zero positive ones,” said MRC President David Bozell. “Zero! My dentist finds more good news in a root canal. Millions of voters open that app before they vote, and Apple's editors are in there like a bartender who waters down only one party's drinks. Come on, Apple, tell us who picks these stories and why Republicans got the whole bad-news buffet."
MRC’s Findings:
- Of the 117 stories from outlets Apple News promoted about GOP-aligned issues during the review period, 84 stories’ headlines (or 72%) were negative and 33 (or 28%) were neutral. None of the headlines promoted by the news app presented GOP issues in a positive light.
- In short, Apple News ensured that immigration was framed through court defeats and sensationalist stories; the economy through high gas prices; law and order through positive portrayals of police abolition; cuts to government through accusations of radicalism; foreign policy through portrayals of America’s adversaries as warriors; and efforts to curb waste through claims of unlawful cuts.
- The Apple News findings are consistent with previous MRC investigations, which found that Apple News has systematically shut out right-leaning outlets, failed to promote scandals involving Democrats and the DNC, and favored publications with a history of endorsing Democratic candidates, among many other examples.
Apple’s Massive Reach and Its Reliance on Left-Wing Sources
Apple News’s massive and growing reach — approximately 125 million monthly visits in America — is precisely why its editorial decisions matter. The app comes preinstalled on every iPhone (roughly 150.7M users in America) and can push headlines directly to millions of Americans, even when they aren’t actively seeking out its coverage.
That reach makes Apple News and other digital news gatekeepers a powerful conduit for left-leaning stories and partisan talking points. MRC has already revealed how Apple News has an almost complete ban on stories from right-leaning outlets. This latest analysis examined how the app’s reliance on left-leaning outlets is shaping coverage of issues that matter most to Republican voters.
MRC identified 10 key Republican-aligned issues based on a series of recent polls: (1) immigration and border security, (2) economic growth and prosperity, (3) law and order, (4) reducing the federal deficit and government spending, (5) combating drug abuse and the opioid crisis, (6) national security and foreign policy, (7) low taxes and cutting waste, (8) countering terrorism, (9) education reform and school choice, and last but not least (10) protecting the unborn.
MRC then reviewed Apple News’s coverage of these issues from Sept. 15 to Sept. 30 and identified 117 relevant stories. Of those, 84 (72%) framed Republican-aligned issues negatively, while the remaining 33 (28%) were neutral. Not a single story’s headline presented these issues in a positive light.
Although Apple News aggregates content from numerous publishers, its story selection, rankings and headline presentation influence which perspectives are most shared with potential voters. This raises an additional concern: Is Apple misrepresenting the service it provides to iPhone owners in violation of consumer protection laws?
In response to previous MRC investigative reports, an Apple spokesperson made a series of admissions that could land the news apps in legal trouble. One Apple spokesperson previously told the New York Post that it promotes stories from a wide range of outlets from across the political spectrum.
The spokesperson specifically claimed that Apple "provides access to news spanning a wide range of topics from more than 3,000 publications including the Wall Street Journal, Fox News, Bloomberg, USA Today, Washington Examiner, New York Post, CBS News, local outlets, and more." MRC analyses have consistently shown that Apple’s representations are unfounded.
The Federal Trade Commission previously issued an official warning to Apple that it must comply with its terms of service and not make false representations to its customers. MRC’s latest study adds to the growing list of evidence that Apple is not complying with its legal responsibilities.
How Apple News Spun the Republican Issues
Immigration Enforcement and Border Security
Most of the stories appearing on Americans’ Apple News screens cast immigration enforcement in a negative light, focusing on legal defeats and ICE missteps while even portraying actions that could be viewed as lenient or pro-immigration by the Trump administration negatively.
For instance, on Sept. 26, Apple News promoted an Axios article under the headline: “Trump-appointed judge again holds admin in contempt over deportation.” The story, as shown on Apple News, prominently displayed an image of Donald Trump’s head at the end of a gavel. A separate Politico article, promoted by Apple News on Sept. 17, spun the administration’s handling of Salvadoran TPS negatively, even as it left protections in place rather than terminating them after a Sept. 9 deadline. The Apple-promoted article claimed that the administration's silence “has plunged an immigrant community of around 200,000 people into limbo, leaving them uncertain when, or if, they will be allowed to stay in the U.S.”
Other negative headlines targeting immigration and border control included:
- “Immigrants held in small outdoor cages at 'Alligator Alcatraz' in Florida, investigators find,” by the BBC (promoted on Sept. 15).
- “US judge blocks Trump limits on how long foreign students, journalists can stay,” by Reuters (promoted on Sept. 15).
- “ICE arrests keep soaring. Here’s why they are not leading to more deportations,” by Reuters (promoted on Sept. 15).
- “ICE agent wanted in Metro Surge shooting is booked into Hennepin County Jail,” by The Minnesota Star Tribune (promoted on Sept. 17).
- “ICE wasted millions of taxpayer dollars in rapid push to expand detention capacity, government watchdog finds,” by CBS News (promoted on Sept. 25, and again on Sept. 26).
These and other articles circulated by Apple News show a clear bias in the stories which Apple has chosen to promote about immigration enforcement and border security. Instead of giving equal coverage to the Republican and Democrat perspectives, one of the most prominent news apps has selectively included stories which shine a negative light on the Republican side of the immigration issue. Apple News could have offered readers a broader perspective on issues central to Republican voters by promoting stories from the wide range of news sources readily available to its editors.
MRC identified alternative stories that offered different perspectives, including coverage highlighting positive developments and policy outcomes on issues important to Republican voters. These include:
- “Trump DHS hits 16 straight months with 0 releases at the border,” by Fox News, published on Sept. 16.
- “The Trump Administration Rightly Revives the ‘Public Charge’ Debate,” by National Review, published on Sept. 23.
- “This is what Democrats’ immigration policy would be,” by the Washington Examiner, published on Sept. 27.
- “They claimed their hands were tied on the border. Trump just proved it was all a lie,” by the Washington Examiner, published on Sept. 28.
Economic Growth and Prosperity
The Trump administration’s economic policies and initiatives aimed at boosting prosperity were not spared from Apple News’s negative spin either. Like the stories Apple promoted about immigration, the news app ignored all positive stories about the Trump economy while highlighting numerous stories that characterized the president’s policies in a negative light.
An NPR human-interest story, which Apple News promoted on Sept. 21, claimed that JD Vance’s proposal to address increasing child care costs did little to solve the underlying issue. NPR proffered that “critics,” none of whom it named, “pointed out that not all grandparents can or want to provide care, many older people need care themselves, and it would do nothing to address the lack of government investment in the childcare system.”
On Sept. 19, Apple News promoted an NBC News story that touched on homebuyers amid increasing mortgage rates and housing prices. The story described the current market as “discouraging” and blamed the U.S. war on Iran as one of the culprits. “Mortgage rates were on a downswing earlier this year, hitting 5.99% in late February. But ever since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28, they have skyrocketed,” the Apple-promoted story lamented.
Other headlines targeting economic growth and prosperity:
- “The price of diesel keeps rising. Why it’s about to hit American consumers,” by The Christian Science Monitor (promoted on Sept. 20).
- “How the surging cost of going out is changing American life,” by The Washington Post (promoted on Sept. 20).
- “How the U.S. got oil shipments moving and what it would take to bring prices down,” by The Washington Post (promoted on Sept. 30). (In the subtitle: “Crude oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz have begun to approach prewar levels. But analysts expect fuel prices to remain high.”)
Alternative stories and headlines that Apple News could have promoted included:
- “US economy notches remarkable new record, sparking cheers: ‘Good job everyone,’” by Fox News, published on Sept. 17.
- “Proof Trump’s economy is better than they’re telling you,” by the Washington Examiner, published on Sept. 23.
- “Trump, good economic news, and the midterm elections,” by the Washington Examiner, published on Sept. 17.
- “Trump Lands $54 Billion For Alaska Pipeline After Half A Century Of Promises,” by The Daily Wire, published on Sept. 30.
Law and Order/Crime Prevention
Apple News’s apparent disdain for law and order was evident in its Sept. 22 promotion of another NPR story echoing the left-wing push to defund or abolish the police.
The story — headlined “How unarmed 911 teams are reshaping public safety in nearly 100 cities” — champions policing alternatives to potentially dangerous crimes like trespassing, panhandling and loitering. In essence, the story is reinforcing the leftist campaign to shift police responsibilities to social services.
Apple News also promoted an Associated Press story about changes to FBI hiring policies that Democrats have used to attack the bureau’s director, Kash Patel.
Another Apple-promoted Associated Press article focused on a judge’s ruling against President Donald Trump’s proposed restrictions on mail-in ballots, which the administration has described as necessary to prevent unlawful voting. Using unfavorable language such as “stark defeat,” the Sept. 15 article took an overtly negative position towards the Trump administration.
Alternative headlines and stories that Apple News could have promoted include:
- “Kash Patel to tout 'largest' year-to-year violent crime drop in US history,” by Fox News, published on Sept. 15.
- “Bill Maher credits Trump’s ‘kick-a--’ crime approach as violent offenses fall across America,” by Fox News, published on Sept. 26.
- “EXCLUSIVE: Inside Trump’s Memphis Crime Crackdown One Year Later,” by The Daily Wire, published on Sept. 29.
- “DOJ announces $25 million ANGEL grant program as it hosts violent crime victims,” by the Washington Examiner, published on Sept. 24.
Reducing Federal Deficit, Government Spending, Size and Power
One of Trump’s campaign promises was to shrink the size of the federal government and crack down on wasteful spending. Since taking office, his efforts to deliver on those promises have been portrayed as controversial and straight-up illegal in Apple News’s coverage.
- “Trump Guts the Biden-Era Rule That Forced Cars to Be More Fuel Efficient,” by The Washington Sun (promoted on Sept. 28).
Words like “guts” alongside phrases such as “forced cars to be more fuel efficient" carry an aggressive, destructive connotation that presents Trump’s reversal of fuel-efficiency standards as an act of dismantling rather than a change in regulatory policy.
Other headlines included:
- “EPA eliminates rule that limits planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions from power plants,” by The Associated Press (promoted on Sept. 15).
- “Iran war cost hits $38 billion, forecast to rise $3 billion a month, CBO says,” by Reuters (promoted on Sept. 16).
- “Americans Are About to Lose Access to Cheap Gray-Market Prescriptions From Canada,” by The Wall Street Journal (promoted on Sept. 24).
- “The Trump administration weakens fuel efficiency standards for new cars,” by NPR (promoted on Sept. 29).
Apple News circulated coverage from outlets whose framing leans against Republican policy priorities, giving prominent visibility to narratives that portray conservative deregulation as destructive while giving less immediate attention to arguments about reducing regulatory burdens, lowering vehicle costs and expanding consumer choice. Apple News could have promoted stories about inflation being below Biden-era levels, employment being near record highs, or the massive surge in foreign investment in the U.S. economy. Such angles were shown in the following stories and headlines that Apple News did not promote:
- “Trump's EPA reforms are a huge boost to manufacturers, but there's more red tape to cut: expert,” by Fox News, published on Sept. 17.
- “Trump just canceled the swamp’s credit card. Good,” by the Washington Examiner, published on Sept. 28.
- “White House Claws Back $810 Million Going To Left-Wing Passion Projects,” by The Daily Wire, published on Sept. 28.
National Security and Foreign Policy
Apple News’s promoted coverage of the Trump administration’s strong foreign policy focused heavily on stories that painted the United States negatively, while describing foreign foes, like Iran and Yemen’s Houthis, as grandiose, defiant and even peaceful.
For instance, Iran coverage portrayed Tehran as diplomatic and sympathetic.
A Reuters article, promoted by Apple News on Sept. 27, used clearly positive and even peaceful language towards Iran, while painting the U.S. in decidedly anti-peace terms: "Iran insists on diplomatic solution after Trump rejects peace plan,” read the headline. This perspective was clearly reflected in numerous other stories related to foreign policy.
- “Iran’s President Gets Rare Opportunity to Make His Case to the World,” by The Wall Street Journal (promoted on Sept. 22).
- “Hundreds of thousands attend Iran’s biggest government-organized rally since the war began,” by The Associated Press (promoted on Sept. 19).
- “UN mission finds grounds to believe US committed war crimes in Iran, and Tehran crimes against humanity,” by Reuters (promoted on Sept. 17).
Other promoted headlines cast Trump's foreign policy in a negative light.
- Greenland: “Trump hails Greenland security deal that falls short of takeover,” by The Washington Post (promoted on Sept. 20).
- United Nations: “Threats, boasts, walkouts: the key takeaways from Trump’s U.N. speech,” by Apple Podcasts (promoted on Sept. 23).
- Israel: “Trump’s planned sale of controversial bombs to Israel is largest in years,” by The Washington Post (promoted on Sept. 16).
- China: “Trump used to slam China. Here's why he's now rolling out the red carpet for Xi,” by The Associated Press (promoted on Sept. 21); and “Trump welcomes Xi for a White House summit set to be high on pageantry, low on substance,” by NBC News (promoted on Sept. 24).
Rather than emphasizing controversy surrounding Trump’s foreign policy, Apple News could have promoted stories highlighting the administration’s diplomatic objectives, national security priorities and efforts to advance American interests abroad.
Possible alternative stories and headlines Apple News could have included:
- “Foreign policy expert details Trump’s victories in week jam-packed with diplomacy,” by Fox News, published on Sept. 25.
- “Why Trump’s India policy is working,” by the Washington Examiner, published on Sept. 24.
- “Trump Announces Historic Deal With Greenland,” by The Daily Wire, published on Sept. 18.
Lowering Taxes and Cutting Waste
Lowering taxes and cutting waste are among the top issues for Republicans heading into the midterm elections. Yet some stories promoted by Apple News emphasized backlash against the Trump administration's efforts to cut federal spending, while others portrayed the administration itself as wasteful.
Apple News promoted multiple stories highlighting criticism of Trump’s decision to claw back $810 million in federal funds previously approved by Congress. The coverage sided with lawmakers’ objections to the move, which they called “unlawful.”
Separately, these stories framed the administration’s use of its rescission authority as extraordinary. Some of the stories Apple News promoted were headlined:
- “Lawmakers slam Trump’s ‘unlawful’ move to cut $810 million in federal funds,” by NBC News (promoted on Sept. 27).
- “Trump administration uses rare authority to claw back nearly $1B in spending approved by Congress,” by The Associated Press (promoted on Sept. 26).
Apple News also highlighted the Trump administration’s decision to cut Affordable Care Act coverage for individuals who are believed to have been fraudulently enrolled. An NBC News story, promoted on Sept. 23, framed the cancellations around the loss of health coverage, even though it impacted people who may not have qualified for subsidies or whose enrollments lacked key information, such as Social Security numbers.
Notably, the story itself acknowledged that health experts and the Congressional Budget Office had identified significant problems with enrollment fraud. Its subheadline, however, highlighted skepticism toward the administration’s crackdown on fraud: “Health policy experts say Affordable Care Act fraud exists, but they question the administration’s claims about the scale.”
By contrast, Apple News could have promoted the following headlines, which highlighted the Trump administration’s efforts to uncover fraud and waste in government spending but were not featured by the app.
- “Trump administration uncovers $1.2B in suspected COVID contract fraud tied to Biden-era spending,” by Fox News, published on Sept. 24.
- “Office of Personnel Management uncovers $500M in fraud and waste in federal health benefits programs,” by Fox News, published on Sept. 29.
- “JD Vance Makes Promise To Daily Wire After Bombshell Reporting,” by The Daily Wire, published on Sept. 22.
Apple’s Sordid History of Running Cover for the Left
These most recent examples of Apple News pushing a political agenda come on the heels of many other instances of anti-Republican bias in what the major News Apps have chosen to promote. MRC has recently conducted studies that have found multiple examples of blatant attempts to cover up scandals, misrepresent information and exclude positive stories about Republicans and conservatives.
For example, a study published on August 21 found that Apple News promoted 72 times more stories from left-leaning outlets than from AllSides-rated right-leaning outlets. A total of only 1% of the stories came from right-leaning outlets (as rated by AllSides), while 72% came from left-leaning outlets. The remaining 27% of stories were from center outlets. In all, Apple News published only eight GOP victory stories out of the 5,417 analyzed.
A separate MRC study, published Jan. 29, examined Apple News as well as other tech titan news aggregators (Google News, Microsoft’s MSN, and Yahoo News) and their coverage pertaining to federal immigration enforcement in Minnesota. The study found that the news aggregators ran a total of 118 stories with headlines on ICE operations in Minnesota. Out of these 118 articles, 101 (85.6%) were negative or lacked crucial context, while only 16 (13.6%) headlines were neutral. Only one story (less than 1%) gave ICE positive coverage.Further evidence of Apple News and other major news aggregators’ bias appeared in an October 6 MRC Special Report examining Apple News's coverage of the Democratic National Committee's financial troubles. The report found that Apple News featured none of the 78 stories identified by MRC about the DNC’s debt crisis between January 1 and September 28, despite 14 of those stories coming from outlets the news app regularly promotes.
MRC Free Speech America Intern Abel Jones contributed crucial research for this report.
Methodology: MRC reviewed the top 20 stories promoted by Apple News each day from Sept. 15 through Sept. 30. Researchers analyzed the headlines and identified stories related to the 10 issues that Republican voters ranked as their top priorities. MRC then analyzed the content of those stories, examining how the issues were framed, whether crucial context was excluded, which perspectives were emphasized or excluded, which sources and viewpoints were given prominence through quotes and their placement in articles, and whether potentially inflammatory language was used. To determine the 10 issues, MRC reviewed polls identifying the issues most important to Republican voters and averaged their findings. The polls were: Gallup 2026, US Polling Data S'26, Pew Research 2026, AP & NORC, YouGov, Fox News Poll, Impact Research/WSJ/National Research Inc. and IPSOS & Reuters. The resulting list was: (1) immigration enforcement and border security; (2) economic growth and prosperity; (3) law and order and crime prevention; (4) reducing the federal deficit and government spending; (5) combating drug use and the opioid crisis; (6) strong national security and foreign policy; (7) lowering taxes and cutting waste; (8) countering terrorism; (9) education reform and school choice; and (10) pro-life policies and abortion restrictions.
