A new Media Research Center study accuses Apple News and Google News of keeping negative coverage of former Maine Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner out of their most prominent morning feeds while he appeared capable of defeating U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), then increasing critical coverage after polls showed Collins ahead.
Researchers found neither aggregator featured a negative Platner headline in its sampled top 20 morning stories from November 1 through May 30, despite months of reporting on deleted Reddit posts, a tattoo associated with Nazi imagery and other controversies. MRC identified at least 112 stories from right-leaning outlets that covered those issues but did not appear in the sampled feeds.
“Apple News and Google News ran a protection racket for Graham Platner,” MRC President David Bozell said.
Study tracks one morning sample each day
MRC monitored the top 20 stories on Apple News and Google News each morning from November 1, 2025, through July 8. Researchers searched for “Maine,” “Mills” and “Platner,” then classified Platner-related headlines as positive, neutral or negative.
The report found Google News featured one Platner story before the negative coverage began: an April 7 Axios article focused on his confidence that he could defeat then-primary rival Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D). Google did not feature its first negative Platner headline until May 31, MRC said. Apple did not do so until June 5.
MRC linked that gap to Platner’s political standing. A poll released in November showed him as the only Democratic contender who could defeat Collins in a hypothetical matchup, according to the report. A Fox News poll released June 30 later found Collins leading Platner 50% to 47%.
MRC researchers counted 12 negative Platner stories promoted by Apple News and Google News on July 7 and July 8. The burst came after the poll and after a former girlfriend accused Platner of sexual assault, an allegation he denied. Platner formally withdrew from the race on July 10, according to the Maine Secretary of State’s Office.
MRC’s data show what appeared in the sampled feeds, but they do not reveal why Apple or Google selected particular stories. The timing also does not prove the poll caused the change because the coverage surge followed a new and more serious allegation.
DX covered Platner before his withdrawal
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, Platner’s campaign faced new scrutiny May 31 after his wife confirmed he had exchanged sexually explicit messages with several women after they married.
The Dallas Express also detailed deleted Reddit posts in which Platner described himself as a “communist,” criticized rural white Americans and attacked police. Platner later denied that he was a communist. He also faced scrutiny over a tattoo associated with Nazi imagery and said he did not know its meaning when he got it.
The MRC study does not establish whether Apple News or Google News specifically reviewed and declined to promote The Dallas Express’ May 31 report. It does show that the topics DX covered were absent from the sampled top morning feeds for most of the period researchers examined.
Google disputes study’s methodology
Google rejected MRC’s conclusions when Fox News sought comment.
“These claims are totally false and based on a completely flawed methodology,” a Google spokesperson said.
Google said researchers checked the service once each day through one account, while Google News updates throughout the day and personalizes feeds based on users’ interests and locations. The company also said users can select preferred sources. Apple did not respond to Fox News before publication.
MRC’s sample therefore cannot describe every story every user saw. It can, however, document what appeared in the specific top 20 morning feeds researchers monitored over eight months.
Earlier study singled out DX
The Platner report follows a separate MRC review of Apple News, Google News, MSN and Yahoo News during the first 100 days of the Republican primary season.
That study found 124 of 155 stories about Republican primaries came from outlets AllSides classified as left-leaning. Eight came from right-leaning outlets, while 23 came from outlets classified as centrist or without a determined lean, according to the New York Post.
MRC Vice President Dan Schneider said it was “pretty obvious” that the New York Post, The Dallas Express and The Telegraph “would have a better understanding of Republican voters” than several outlets the aggregators regularly promoted.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, an April AllSides audit found that Google News drew 73% of sampled articles from left-leaning outlets and 1% from right-leaning outlets in its non-personalized sections. Apple News drew 50% from left-leaning outlets and 2% from right-leaning outlets in that review.
Provided by Dallas Express
