Senator Questions Apple Over News App Bias
Senator Marsha Blackburn is pressing Apple CEO Tim Cook for explanations about findings suggesting that the company has consistently suppressed conservative voices on its widely used news app.
In a letter addressed to Cook, Blackburn, a Republican from Tennessee, referenced exclusive reporting from the Post regarding a significant investigation by the Media Research Center (MRC). This study revealed that the “Top Stories” section on the Apple News app notably lacked any articles from right-leaning news outlets.
“As more Americans turn to platforms like Apple News for their information, they should have access to a broad range of political viewpoints,” Blackburn emphasized in her Friday letter. “It’s unfair to limit consumer choice through editorial bias or algorithmic manipulation.”
Blackburn has set a deadline of March 4 for Cook to respond to several inquiries about Apple News, including whether the company has intentionally excluded content from conservative sources due to perceived bias.
The MRC’s research indicates that out of 620 articles featured on Apple News during peak morning traffic in January, 440 were from outlets deemed left-leaning, while only 180 were from centrist publications. Conservative sources like the Post and Fox News were completely excluded.
Additionally, Blackburn requested insights into how Apple’s editorial team determines which stories to highlight and whether the company has ever evaluated its algorithms for political bias.
“You have a duty to ensure information is available without favoritism towards any particular political ideology,” she stated.
Apple has not provided a comment on this matter.
Earlier, Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson wrote to Cook on February 11, cautioning that Apple might be infringing upon federal consumer protection laws if it deliberately suppresses conservative viewpoints.
“The First Amendment protects the speech of Big Tech, but it doesn’t cover misleading statements to consumers, nor does it excuse actions that Congress considers unfair,” Ferguson noted.
Interestingly, Apple News went without featuring any conservative articles for 99 consecutive days until it recently highlighted a Fox News piece concerning the death of actor James Van Der Beek.
A study from AllSides, a nonpartisan organization analyzing media biases, found no articles from right-leaning outlets in the Top News section over a two-week span last October.
In a broader analysis of 166 articles, only 2% originated from conservative sources, with a staggering 50% coming from left-leaning outlets and 23% from centrist ones.
Apple News combines selected articles with algorithmically curated content, yet AllSides focused on segments that users cannot customize, like the “Top Stories” and “Trending Stories” sections.
“The model of Apple News contributes to the increasing political divide in America by confining readers to a one-sided flow of information that can distort their perceptions,” commented Julie Mastrine, a director at AllSides and one of the study’s authors.
