Apple and Microsoft joined Google on Wednesday in ignoring right-leaning news about the government shutdown.
All three Big Tech aggregator websites failed to include right-leaning news sources on Wednesday and instead propped up the leftist, legacy media. Apple News, Google News and MSN News collectively shared articles from leftist sources like ABC News, CBS News, NBC News, Reuters, The Associated Press, The Guardian and Axios, each of which framed their stories in such a way that blamed Republicans for the current government shutdown and highlighted the human cost.
Apple, Google and MSN’s promotion of leftist sources comes after Senate Democrats refused to pass a continuing resolution that would extend government funding through Nov. 21. Their counterproposal included a policy sticking point: funding for Obamacare, set to expire at the end of the year. The shutdown crisis was created after Democrats failed to pass all 12 appropriations bills, where policy-related funding disputes are supposed to be fought.
Apple News highlighted a Reuters story as its top story (as preserved on Yahoo! News). It led with how the shutdown will impact travel, scientific research, and the income of U.S. troops and Trump’s government reduction that has led to job cuts.
It took the outlet seven paragraphs to get to how partisan politics has played a role in the shutdown. Even then, Reuters subtly pins Senate Democrats’ hardline on Republicans: “Senate Democrats on Tuesday blocked a stopgap measure to fund the government through Nov. 21 over Republicans' refusal to attach an extension of health benefits for millions of Americans that are due to expire at the end of the year.”
Microsoft’s MSN News highlighted just one article on the federal government shutdown coming from CBS News. The article emphasized the previous shutdown in 2018, which lasted “34 days” and impacted Christmas holiday travel. The CBS piece completely omitted why the shutdown occurred in the first place.
In Case You Missed It: Google News Shifts Blame for Gov't Shutdown
Promoted by Google News, Axios published one of the worst articles with the headline “Democrats take the fight to Trump on government shutdown,” pointing the finger from the get-go. In its very first sentence, Axios wrote: “Republicans are banking on Democrats blinking first to end a government shutdown. But just in case, they're going to make it as painful as possible.” The leftist outlet went on to note that furloughs for government workers could turn into “mass firings.” Only later does the Axios author point out that “Democrats feel like they've got nothing to lose,” and Senate Republicans see Democrats’ stipulations as “holding government funding hostage.”
Google additionally elevated The Associated Press which piled on the Trump administration, noting that this is the “third” government shutdown during a Trump presidency and that “His record underscores the polarizing divide over budget priorities in a political climate that rewards hard-line positions rather than more traditional compromises.”
When immediately moving to talk about blame for the shutdown, AP began by claiming that “The Democrats picked this fight” but went on to simultaneously alleged that “Republicans have refused to negotiate,” as if the ones who pick the fight should not be in the hot seat to negotiate or compromise.
AP also openly admitted Vice President JD Vance's remarks that Republicans are open to negotiating healthcare concerns but not while the government is shut down. The outlet then followed up, claiming that “neither side has devised [...] an easy off-ramp to prevent what could become a protracted closure.”
An NBC News piece, also promoted by Google, similarly put the onus on “GOP leaders,” who supposedly “declined to haggle over a short-term bill to prevent a shutdown temporarily.” The outlet then proceeded to contradict the blame it had just cast, adding, “They said they’ll negotiate spending policy only through the regular federal funding process. Democratic leaders said that’s not enough, vowing to oppose any bill that failed to include their priorities.”
These comments came only after noting who would be impacted by the shutdown and lack of Obamacare funding (which notably will not go into effect until 2026).
Methodology:
MRC researchers examined the home page of news.google.com, the home page of the Apple News app, and the home page of msn.com/en-us and the included aggregated news outlets on the morning of October 1. Apple News was examined at 10:00 a.m., and Google News and MSN News were examined at 10:53 a.m. Researchers then analyzed the articles related to a potential government shutdown for political bias. For Google News and MSN News, MRC Free Speech America created an algorithm to automate this process in a clean environment. A “clean environment” allows for organic search to populate results without the influence of prior search history and tracking cookies.