Apple News Shows Political Shift Under New CEO

According to a study by the Media Research Center (MRC), Apple News has moved to a more left-leaning stance since John Ternus became CEO a month ago. The MRC, known for its conservative viewpoint, analyzed the news aggregator’s output during the last month of Tim Cook’s leadership and compared it to the first month of Ternus’s tenure, which began on September 1.

The findings revealed that in August, when Cook was still in charge, Apple News featured stories from leftist sources 65% of the time while only 2% came from right-leaning sources. By September, these numbers shifted to 67% for leftist outlets and a mere fraction for right-leaning ones—essentially less than 1%—as noted by the MRC.

David Bozell, president of the MRC, commented that under Ternus, Apple News has increasingly favored one side politically. “Just three stories from conservative outlets made the top morning feed in September. Three,” he told Fox News Digital.

He further criticized Apple for not including a wider range of conservative journalism. “This blatant discrimination is simply indefensible,” Bozell said, highlighting that Apple has a lot of conservative journalism available yet chooses to exclude it.

MRC’s Free Speech America Director Michael Morris, who carried out the study, pointed out that rival news services like Google News and Microsoft’s MSN didn’t mirror Apple’s shift to the left over the past month. In fact, he states that Microsoft’s MSN decreased its promotion of stories from both sides, while Google News maintained a similar share of left-leaning stories and slightly reduced its right-leaning ones.

MRC’s critiques have raised concerns, particularly about Lauren Kern, the app’s editor-in-chief. Kern, who has a background in influential publications like New York Magazine and The New York Times Magazine, is seen by some as playing a significant role in what news reaches millions. There are claims that she has become one of the most powerful figures in media due to the extensive reach of the Apple News app, which boasts over 100 million users monthly across several countries.

This isn’t the first time Apple News has faced scrutiny regarding its bias. Reports earlier this year highlighted that many top Apple executives have made considerable donations to Democrats, which has alarmed some Republican lawmakers. For instance, Senator Marsha Blackburn sent a letter to Cook seeking an explanation for the perceived bias.

Morris noted that there was a noticeable leftward shift in Apple News’s reporting once Ternus took the lead. “In August, Apple News promoted 381 stories from leftist outlets (65%), 191 from center outlets (33%), and only 13 from right-leaning outlets (2%). But in September, those numbers shifted to 383 from leftist sources (67%), with right-leaning outlets dropping to just three stories (0.5%).”

Ternus, a veteran at Apple since 2001, has spent much of his career in product design and engineering. He joined the executive team in 2021 and has been key in managing various hardware developments and the transition to Apple’s own silicon chips.

Apple has not immediately responded to requests for comments regarding the study and its implications.