Apple News Leads Big Four Apps in Left‑Leaning Stories for March

Apple News promoted the highest number of left‑leaning headlines among the four major news aggregators in March 2026, with 434 of its 592 top‑story slots coming from outlets rated left by AllSides [1]. The app’s right‑leaning coverage fell to just five stories, the lowest share of any competitor.

Key takeaways

• Apple News displayed 434 left‑leaning stories versus 382 (Google), 226 (MSN) and 400 (Yahoo) [1].
• Right‑leaning articles on Apple News dropped from eight in February to five in March, under 1% of its top stories [1].
• Competitors still featured more right‑leaning content: Google 12, MSN 58, Yahoo 70 stories [1].
• The analysis used AllSides bias ratings on the top 20 daily stories from March 1‑31, 2026 [1].
• MRC officials claim the trend reflects intentional editorial direction by Apple [1].

Apple News’s March Bias Compared with Other Apps

MRC Free Speech America examined the morning top‑20 headlines on Apple News each day at roughly 8:30 a.m. ET throughout March [1]. Using AllSides’ classification of outlets as “left,” “lean left,” “center,” “lean right” or “right,” the researchers found that Apple News selected left‑leaning content for 73% of its featured stories (434 of 592). By contrast, Google News presented 382 left‑leaning stories, Microsoft’s MSN 226, and Yahoo News 400 during the same period [1].

The left‑leaning outlets most frequently featured on Apple News included New York Magazine, The Associated Press, The Atlantic, The Guardian, The New Yorker and Vox, as well as The Washington Post, NPR and USA Today [1]. The app also highlighted several sensational headlines, such as a story about ICE arrests in Minnesota and a piece on a teenage death in ICE detention, which MRC described as “fear‑driven and sensational” [1].

Declining Right‑Leaning Coverage

Apple News’s right‑leaning coverage shrank sharply from February to March. In February, the app carried eight right‑leaning stories, representing about 2% of its top‑story pool. By March, that number fell to five, less than 1% of the total [1]. Competing apps still carried more right‑leaning content: Google News 12 stories, MSN 58, and Yahoo News 70 in March [1]. MRC’s director Michael Morris said the drop underscores “blatant ideological bias” and noted that the trend persisted despite an FTC warning letter to Apple about its terms and conditions [1].

Why it matters

With Apple News preinstalled on every iPhone, a large share of U.S. users encounter its curated headlines by default. Pew Research indicates that 86% of Americans use digital devices for news at least occasionally, suggesting that Apple’s editorial tilt could shape public perception for a broad audience [1]. The findings raise questions about platform responsibility and the transparency of news curation practices, especially as regulators scrutinize tech companies for potential bias. MRC urges lawmakers and the public to monitor such distribution choices to ensure a balanced information ecosystem.