FTC Chairman Warns Apple Over News Choices On Its Aggregation Site

Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson issued a warning letter to Apple, calling on the company to review its curation of news articles to see if its Apple News is freezing out media outlets on the right, and to take “corrective action” if that is the case. Chairman Ferguson cites a study from Media Research Center, a conservative watchdog group, that has been monitoring the news choices on Apple News. According to MRC, in January, Apple News “refrained from using any right-leaning outlets in the top 20 articles of its morning editions between Jan. 1 and Jan. 31, 2026.” The right leaning sources were identified as Fox News, the New York Post, Daily Mail, Breitbart, and The Gateway Pundit. Instead, according to MRC, Apple News featured “articles from elitist media outlets that amplify the left’s narrative, like: The Washington Post, The Associated Press and NBC News as well as center outlets like The Wall Street Journal and Reuters.” MRC said that it used the AllSides media bias ratings. Outlets like the Post, the Journal and The Associated Press have long identified as nonpartisan. Although they have been attacked by President Trump and the White House, the administration will cite them as sources when stories are favorable to the president. In his letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook, Chairman Ferguson raises the prospect that Apple News’ choice of stories may violate the FTC Act, arguing that the suppression or promotion of stories “based on the perceived ideological or political viewpoint of the article or publication” may be “inconsistent” with Apple’s terms of service or the “reasonable expectations of consumers.”