Apple News allegedly kept the Democratic National Committee’s mounting financial problems out of its most prominent story selections for nearly nine months, according to a new analysis from the Media Research Center.

The watchdog said none of the 78 stories it identified about the DNC’s debt appeared among Apple News’ top 20 promoted stories from Jan. 1 through Sept. 28. The review ended just weeks before the 2026 midterm elections.

“Apple isn’t curating the news,” Media Research Center President David Bozell said. “It’s running a high-tech protection racket for the political left.”

Looks like Apple News is run by the same people hiring faculty at America’s universities

They think 1% conservative is the right “balance” — Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) October 6, 2026

The allegation arrives as Democrats confront serious financial struggles heading into the midterms. The party entered the year carrying millions of dollars in debt after previously disclosing obligations connected to the failed 2024 Biden and Harris campaign.

In December 2025, the DNC blamed nearly $16 million in debt on the failed presidential campaign, according to Federal Election Commission filings. Kamala Harris’ campaign spent roughly $1.5 billion, while the DNC was left with $20.5 million in debt.

The party then secured a $15 million loan in October 2025 to support gubernatorial elections in Virginia and New Jersey. Democrats won in both states, but the DNC still entered 2026 with $17.5 million in debt, according to reporting first published by The New York Times.

The last time the DNC reported debt at a similar level was 2014, when it owed roughly $16 million. The current financial trouble has fueled calls to remove DNC Chairman Ken Martin.

Some donors have redirected their money toward other liberal organizations. Several Democrats also began questioning the party’s “very purpose entirely,” according to Politico.

The Republican National Committee, by comparison, has $230 million in the bank and carries no debt. That sharp financial contrast has become part of the story that the Media Research Center says Apple News declined to place before its enormous audience.

Researchers found that 78 different outlets published stories about the DNC’s debt during the period examined. Yet none of those articles reached Apple News’ top 20 promoted stories in the daily selections reviewed by the watchdog.

At least 14 stories from publications frequently promoted by Apple News were not featured. Those publications included USA Today, The Guardian, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Fox News, Politico and the New York Post.

The potential reach is substantial because Apple News has roughly 125 million monthly users and comes installed on Apple devices. According to the Media Research Center, a story promoted through the service can receive anywhere from 1 million to 20 million page views.

“Our study found Apple News suppressing coverage of the Democratic Party’s fundraising woes while eagerly serving up stories damaging to Republicans,” Bozell said.

The watchdog has previously accused Apple News of liberal bias in its editorial choices. Earlier Media Research Center analyses alleged that the service failed to promote coverage of scandals involving former Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner and current Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed.

Other examinations by the group accused Apple News editors of disproportionately promoting liberal leaning publications while excluding conservative outlets from the top 20 morning stories. Unlike Google News and Microsoft’s MSN, which rely heavily on algorithms, Apple News uses human editors to choose much of the material appearing on its platform.

For the latest review, researchers examined Apple News’ top 20 promoted stories at 8:30 a.m. each day from Jan. 1 through Sept. 28. Search terms included “DNC,” “RNC,” “Democrat,” “Martin,” “Fundraising,” “FEC,” “Debt,” “Deficit,” and “National Committee.”

Researchers separately searched online for stories about the DNC’s debt that could have appeared within those daily selections. They identified 78 potential stories before narrowing the group to 10 articles from publishers that Apple News routinely features and confirming those publishers were available on the platform.

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