Overview
- The Media Research Center reported that Apple News and Google News showed zero top-morning stories about Graham Platner’s scandals from November 1, 2025 through May 30, 2026, citing at least 112 omitted items from conservative outlets.
- The omitted items the MRC highlighted included a Totenkopf-like tattoo, offensive Reddit posts, and later sexual-assault and sexting allegations that helped end Platner’s campaign.
- Google issued a public denial calling the study’s approach “completely flawed” and said the report relied on once-per-day checks of a single account and ignored real-time updates and personalization.
- Apple did not provide a comment to reporters, and the MRC says both platforms began running a cluster of negative Platner stories on July 7–8 after his scandals became publicly consequential.
- Coverage so far is led by conservative outlets amplifying the MRC special report, and the dispute has refocused debate on how news-aggregation algorithms and editorial choices can shape what voters see and whether regulators or platforms should increase transparency.