Apple News is facing renewed criticism after its latest voting guide, delivered to iPhone users nationwide, highlighted election coverage from predominantly left-leaning outlets and framed candidates and ballot issues in ways critics say favor Democrats. The controversy comes as the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has previously warned Apple about potential bias in its news curation practices.
The dispute centers on whether Apple News' personalized election guides provide balanced information or systematically promote one political perspective, raising questions about the influence of major tech platforms on voter information.
Apple News' approach to election coverage has been the subject of ongoing debate, with watchdogs and conservative groups alleging that the platform's curation practices disadvantage right-leaning outlets. The FTC sent a warning letter to Apple earlier this year, urging the company to review its news selection process for fairness and transparency.
Criticism of Apple News Coverage
On Tuesday, Apple News sent an alert to users offering a βpersonalized guide to casting your ballot,β directing them to a page where election information was tailored by zip code. Critics, including Robby Starbuck, a visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation, argued that the guides "felt heavily biased in favor of Democrats."
In several battleground areas, the guides highlighted Democratic candidatesβ backgrounds and achievements, while Republican candidates were often introduced in relation to former President Donald Trump or their support for election security measures, which the guides described as unnecessary. For example, in Portland, Maine, Democratic gubernatorial nominee Hannah Pingree was described as "the youngest woman in the country to serve as state house speaker," with her legislative accomplishments emphasized. In contrast, Republican nominee Bobby Charles was introduced primarily by his Washington, D.C. career and consulting work.
Coverage of Maineβs Senate race similarly presented Democrat Troy Jacksonβs working-class background and political activism, while Republican incumbent Sen. Susan Collins was noted for her tenure and votes on contentious issues, such as her opposition to a partial repeal of the Affordable Care Act and her vote to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
"Apple is choosing to exclude conservative voices and deny its audience anything resembling a balanced news diet."
β David Bozell, Media Research Center President
In Ohio, Apple News featured an article from NPR affiliate WVXU that led with Democratic talking points about Trumpβs unpopularity and the alignment of Republican candidates with the former president. The article also discussed a proposed voter ID amendment, describing it as redundant since photo ID is already required, and suggesting Republican lawmakers were overstating the need for constitutional change.
In Kansas, guides highlighted the possibility of Democrats breaking a long Republican winning streak, while a proposed amendment clarifying that only citizens can vote was framed as unnecessary, echoing arguments from opponents that no local government had attempted to allow noncitizens to vote.
Watchdog and FTC Concerns
Apple Newsβ selection of sources has drawn scrutiny from media watchdogs and the FTC. The Media Research Center (MRC) reported a sharp drop in right-leaning stories promoted by Apple News, from 13 in August to just 3 in September, compared to 381 stories from left-leaning outlets in August alone. According to MRC, it took Apple News 100 days to feature a single right-leaning story in its top 20 morning feed, while 1,379 stories from left-leaning outlets were promoted in the same period.
The FTC sent a warning letter to Apple in February, expressing concern that Apple News βhas systematically promoted news articles from left-wing news outlets and suppressed news articles from more conservative publications.β The agency urged Apple to review its terms of service and ensure its news curation was consistent with its commitments to consumers.
Apple did not respond to questions from The Federalist about how it selects sources for its election coverage or whether it uses third-party rating services. The company also did not comment on whether it had completed the FTC-requested review or made any changes to its selection process since August.
Response and Lack of Comment
Supporters of Apple News have not publicly addressed the criticism or provided details on the platformβs editorial process. The Federalist reported that Apple did not respond to multiple requests for comment regarding its source selection or the impact of the FTC warning.
