FTC Probe Reveals Apple News Manually Overrides Algorithms to Favor Legacy Media

On February 12, 2026, FTC Commissioner Andrew Ferguson issued a formal inquiry into Apple Inc., targeting the editorial practices of the nation's most-used news aggregator. Internal documents obtained by the commission reveal that the 'Top Stories' section of Apple News is not the product of a neutral algorithm, but is instead governed by 'manual editorial overrides.' These overrides allow a small team in Cupertino to bypass automated sorting, dictating what 50% of mobile news consumers see on their home screens every day.

The financial impact of this curation is a zero-sum game for the industry. While Apple's 2025 Transparency Report notably omitted selection criteria for its editorialized feeds, the results are reflected in the ledger. Currently, 80% of all Apple News traffic is directed to a 'Legacy Media Cartel' of roughly 15 corporate newsrooms. Because traffic translates directly to digital ad impressions and News+ revenue sharing, Apple has created a protected economic zone for established players while independent outlets report referral traffic drops of 40% to 60%.

While Apple markets the platform as a 'safe haven' from misinformation, an AllSides 2026 analysis found a statistically significant exclusion of non-legacy and conservative-leaning outlets compared to standard search results. This is more than a matter of viewpoint; it is a market consolidation strategy. By narrowing the funnel to high-margin corporate partners, Apple ensures its revenue-sharing model remains predictable and concentrated, starving smaller competitors of the scale required to attract premium advertisers.

Commissioner Ferguson’s inquiry suggests Apple may be in violation of the Consumer Protection Act by misrepresenting a curated editorial product as an objective aggregation tool. This 'walled garden' approach allows Apple to act as a digital sovereign, deciding which newsrooms remain financially viable and which are left to wither. When a single company controls the distribution of information for half the American mobile market, the power to curate becomes the power to censor through economic starvation.

For the average reader, this means their worldview is being quietly managed by a handful of editors in Cupertino. The diversity of thought is replaced by a corporate monoculture where local reporting and independent investigations are buried under 'vetted' legacy content. When the platform controls the audience, it controls the truth—and ensures the profits stay within a very small, very specific circle.