A new Media Research Center study found that Apple News and Google News did not feature negative headlines about former Maine Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner in their top 20 morning stories from November 1, 2025, through May 30, 2026, despite months of reporting on his controversies.

Platner’s Controversies

Platner faced scrutiny over deleted Reddit posts, a tattoo associated with Nazi imagery, and other issues. However, Apple News and Google News did not promote these stories in their top morning feeds until after polls showed U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) leading Platner.

MRC researchers monitored the top 20 stories on Apple News and Google News each morning from November 1, 2025, through July 8, 2026. They found that 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).

Apple News did not feature its first negative Platner headline until June 5. MRC linked the delay in negative coverage to Platner’s political standing, citing a poll that showed him as the only Democratic contender who could defeat Collins in a hypothetical matchup.

MRC’s data show what appeared in the sampled feeds but do not reveal why Apple or Google selected particular stories. The timing also does not prove that the poll caused the change in coverage, as the surge in negative stories followed a new and more serious allegation against Platner.

Original reporting: The Dallas Express — read the source article.