Sen. Marsha Blackburn sent a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook asking for answers about allegations that Apple News favors liberal outlets, citing a Media Research Center study that reported 0 right-leaning and 440 left-leaning items in January. Blackburn, who chairs the Senate subcommittee that oversees FTC oversight, requested details on content selection, promotional algorithms and any internal bias reviews by March 4. FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson has also signaled concern about potential Section 5 violations of the FTC Act; Apple has not yet commented.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn Asks Apple To Explain Alleged Political Bias In Apple News
Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., sent a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook seeking answers on the alleged bias of the company's Apple News app.(Getty Images)
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) has sent a formal letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook seeking an explanation for allegations that the Apple News app favors left-leaning outlets while sidelining conservative publications.
Blackburn, who chairs the Senate subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Technology, and Data Privacy, cited a Media Research Center study that reported Apple News featured zero items from right-leaning outlets in January while featuring 440 items from left-leaning sources. She emphasized that because Apple News is preinstalled on many devices and reaches millions of users, Apple has a responsibility to provide balanced access to information.
The Apple News application pre-installed on all iPhones is facing scrutiny over its alleged political bias.
“The American public increasingly relies on services like Apple News to provide them with information, and they deserve to have access to perspectives across the political spectrum. To deny consumers that ability through algorithmic promotion or editorial bias is a disservice to those who use your product,” Blackburn wrote in the letter obtained by Fox News Digital.
In the letter Blackburn requested that Apple explain how Apple News determines which stories are featured or promoted, whether any algorithms or editorial policies influence political coverage, and whether Apple has conducted an internal review of potential bias since the Media Research Center study became public. She asked for written responses by March 4.
The inquiry follows similar concerns raised by Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson, who told Cook the FTC is reviewing whether Apple News' practices could violate Section 5 of the FTC Act, which bars unfair or deceptive acts or practices. Ferguson noted that First Amendment protections do not exempt companies from consumer-protection laws that address misleading or unfair conduct.
The FTC sent a letter to Apple with alleged bias allegations with its Apple News curation application.
A 2018 New York Times profile described Apple News' editorial curation as led by a team of journalists under editor-in-chief Lauren Kern. Kern told the Times the team takes great care in its selections. Apple has also noted the app's wide reach: in 2020 the company said Apple News drew more than 100 million monthly active users across the U.S., U.K., Australia and Canada.
Apple did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Blackburn's letter adds to growing scrutiny of how major platforms curate news and whether editorial decisions or algorithms create political imbalance.
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