FTC Chair Warns Apple Over Alleged News Bias
FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson wrote to Tim Cook citing Media Research Center analyses that found few or no conservative stories in Apple News and urged a review of curation practices.
Overview
FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson sent a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook alleging that Apple News "systematically promotes" left-leaning sources and suppresses conservative outlets and urging a comprehensive review and corrective action.
Ferguson cited Media Research Center analyses that reported none of 620 top stories featured in Apple News during January came from right-leaning sources and that only one of 560 top-20 stories from Nov. 3–30, 2025, was right-leaning.
Ferguson wrote that the FTC can act against "material misrepresentations and omissions" under the FTC Act while stressing the agency "is not the speech police," and Apple did not immediately respond to the letter.
The MRC analysis found nearly 71 percent (440 of 620) of featured January stories were from left-leaning sources, and the Apple News app aggregates content from more than 3,000 publications and ranked as the most popular news app in the US, Canada and Australia and second in the UK in January.
Ferguson warned that curating news based on perceived ideological viewpoint could violate consumer-protection rules and asked Apple to take corrective action swiftly, leaving potential enforcement or further FTC review possible.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame the story as a politically charged dispute by foregrounding conservative watchdog allegations and the FTC letter while emphasizing the chair’s partisan ties and Trump-era context. They amplify evaluative terms like “systematically suppressed,” prioritize complainant claims over independent analysis, and selectively highlight corporate details to imply bias.
Sources (4)
FAQ
The Media Research Center conducted analyses of Apple News stories during specific time periods. In January 2026, they examined 620 top-featured stories and found that none came from conservative media outlets, with 71% of featured stories coming from left-leaning sources instead[1][2]. Additionally, the MRC reported that as of early February 2026, Apple News had gone 96 consecutive days without featuring a story from a conservative publication in its top stories section, with the last conservative outlet story published on November 5, 2025[2]. The MRC also noted that Apple News "broadly focused on President Donald Trump's foreign policy and immigration policy in negative ways" during the analysis period[2].
The FTC has authority to protect consumers from "material misrepresentations and omissions" under the FTC Act if Apple News curates content in ways inconsistent with its terms of service or consumer expectations[5]. However, FTC Chair Ferguson explicitly stated that the FTC is "not the speech police" and does not have the authority to require Apple to take a position on any political issue or curate news according to any specific ideology[5]. The agency can only act if the curation practices are found to violate consumer protection principles or misrepresent how the service operates.
Apple did not immediately respond to Ferguson's letter[5]. However, an Apple News spokesperson previously stated that "Apple News users can tailor the app to their interests by choosing to follow or block specific publications or topics[2]." Regarding reach, Apple News is highly influential, with over 125 million monthly users and serving as one of the most significant news distributors in the United States[4]. The app aggregates content from more than 3,000 publications and was ranked as the most popular news app in the US, Canada, and Australia, and second in the UK in January 2026[4].
Apple News uses a hybrid approach combining human editorial curation and algorithms to surface stories[2][4]. MRC President David Bozell emphasized that "Apple publicly acknowledged that its curation system is human-driven," with "a lot of editorial decision making going on at Apple[1]." This human element is significant because editorial choices can introduce bias, whether intentional or not. The FTC letter questioned whether Apple News' curation amounts to viewpoint discrimination, as editorial teams decide which stories receive prominent placement in the feed and which remain buried or excluded[4].
The FTC letter marks an escalation in regulatory scrutiny and opens the door for potential enforcement action or further FTC review[4]. FTC Chair Ferguson encouraged Apple to conduct a comprehensive review of its curation practices and terms of service, and to "take corrective action swiftly" if inconsistencies are found[5]. If Apple is determined to have made material misrepresentations about how Apple News curates content in violation of consumer protection principles, the FTC can pursue enforcement actions against the company, though the specific penalties have not yet been detailed[5].
History
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