Full Breakdown
Apple and Google News Feeds Favor Democratic-Endorsing Outlets
8/20/2026, 10:23:07 PM
Core Findings
A new analysis by the Media Research Center (MRC) shows that the outlets most frequently promoted on Apple News and Google News have never endorsed a Republican presidential candidate in the ten elections from 1988 to 2024. The five most-featured outlets on Apple News—The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, The Los Angeles Times, and USA Today—collectively endorsed Democratic nominees 28 times. Google News’ top five—The New York Times, The Guardian, The Washington Post, USA Today, and The Atlantic—recorded 27 Democratic endorsements. Across both platforms, the endorsement tally stands at 31 for Democrats and 0 for Republicans.
Study Methodology and Endorsement Statistics
MRC researchers examined the 20 most-prominent stories shown each morning on each aggregator. For Apple News, the sample covered from early November 2025 through July 31, 2026. Google News was sampled from November 2025 to January 2026, and Microsoft’s MSN from mid-January 2026 through July 31. Endorsements were identified by reviewing editorial board histories; outlets without any presidential endorsements were excluded.
- Apple News: NYT, WaPo, Guardian, LA Times, USA Today -> 28 Democratic endorsements.
- Google News: NYT, Guardian, WaPo, USA Today, Atlantic -> 27 Democratic endorsements.
- MSN: 25 Democratic endorsements, 2 Republican endorsements (both from the San Francisco Chronicle in 1988 and 1992).
Official Responses from Platforms and Regulators
Apple and Google have each refuted the methodology used in the MRC study. Representatives for Apple and Microsoft did not respond to comment requests. In February, FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson sent a warning letter to Apple’s chief executive, Tim Cook, raising concerns about potential bias in the news feed.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Big Tech executives insist their news platforms serve as objective public squares, but our findings lay bare the massive corporate tilt driving these algorithms,” — MRC President David Bozell
Broader Implications for Media Diversity
The findings add to ongoing scrutiny of how algorithmic curation may influence political exposure. A separate AllSides analysis noted that right-leaning outlets such as Fox News receive a comparatively small share of articles on these platforms, reinforcing concerns about limited ideological diversity in the primary news streams accessed by many smartphone users.
