EXCLUSIVE: Democrats want Americans to believe President Donald Trump’s strikes on Iran were not based on an immediate threat the Islamic regime posed to the Western Hemisphere. Tellingly, the Big Four News Apps appeared eager to amplify that narrative, the Media Research Center can confirm.
MRC found that Apple News, Google News, Microsoft’s MSN and Yahoo News did not publish in their top 20 morning editions a bombshell interview of Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, who directly challenged claims that the strike on Iran lacked justification.
The interview, which aired on March 3 on The Mark Levin Show, featured Witkoff speaking openly for the first time since the attacks. He stated that Tehran has enough enriched uranium to build eleven atomic bombs and has shown little willingness to negotiate, despite months of diplomatic efforts.
Witkoff’s detailed account undercuts leftist claims that Trump ordered the Feb. 28 attack without justification. However, the millions of Americans who rely on Apple News, Google News, Microsoft’s MSN, and Yahoo News for their news may never have heard of these revelations.
MRC’s Findings:
- The Big Four News Apps ignored Witkoff’s revealing interview among their top 20 morning placements despite heavy coverage of Iran.
- Instead, the news apps relied heavily on left-leaning outlets for their coverage of the conflict.
- While ignoring the Witkoff interview, the Big Four News Apps did manage to promote trivial listicles and entertainment stories, including stories about pet rabbits, puppies and chimpanzees’ fascination with crystals in their top 20 morning editions.
Big Four News Apps Ignore Levin-Witkoff Interview Despite Exclusive Revelations
MRC reviewed the top 20 stories promoted across the Big Four News Apps from March 4 through March 6. Across 260 promoted stories, MRC found that none of the news aggregators highlighted the interview and its revelations.
Witkoff’s remarks marked the first time he spoke extensively — and on the record — about his firsthand interactions with Iranian negotiators and their apparent unwillingness to pursue a serious nuclear deal with the Trump administration.
During the interview, Witkoff revealed that Iranian officials boasted about owning 460 kilograms of 60% enriched uranium that, according to his calculations, was enough to make 11 nuclear warheads.
Witkoff further stated that Iranian negotiators appeared less open to compromise than Hamas. According to Witkoff, Iranian officials often appeared to be pretending to negotiate while continuing to advance their nuclear program.
Notably, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi appeared to confirm part of Witkoff’s comments on the nuclear warheads while insisting the regime was merely stating a fact rather than bragging about it.
“When the question of plus 400 kilograms of 60 percent material was raised in the meeting, we were not reacting. We were just stating a fact,” Takht-Ravanchi told MSN Now on March 4.
Big Four News Apps Snub Levin for Al Jazeera, Other Left-Leaning Outlets
While Apple News, Google News, MSN and Yahoo News snubbed the Levin-Witkoff interview, they still promoted coverage of the U.S.-Iran conflict — but did so largely through the lens of left-leaning outlets.
MRC identified 62 stories about Iran across the Big Four News Apps during the review period using independent media bias ratings firm AllSides:
- Left-Leaning: 47 stories (75.8%)
- Center: 13 stories (21%)
- Right: 2 stories (3.2%)
Promoted outlets included Al Jazeera, The New York Times, The Associated Press, CNN, NPR, The Guardian, The Washington Post, Axios, Bloomberg, Politico and CBS News.
This heavy reliance on left-leaning outlets has clear editorial consequences. Many stories adopted anti-Trump framing, hedged on U.S. officials’ statements, or focused on the potential cost of the war. One article even speculated about political fallout from the conflict just days after it began. Examples included:
Yahoo News:
- Salon: “Trump’s new plan for Iran doomed to backfire.”
MSN:
- Reuters: “US releases video it says shows strike on Iranian drone carrier.”
Google:
- Politico: “Massive war price tag could be a massive problem for GOP leaders.”
Apple News:
- The Guardian: “Middle East attacks intensify as Trump says he rejects Iran’s attempt to talk.”
Big Four News Apps Promote Listicles, Fluff Instead of Levin-Witkoff Revelations
Witkoff’s firsthand account directly contradicted the media's portrayal of Trump’s attacks as rushed or unjustified. Witkoff’s remarks were also largely ignored by the media, which instead echoed the claims of the Iranian regime.
Levin appeared to take note of the media blackout surrounding his exclusive interview with Witkoff, writing on X:
“It is sad day indeed when a news-breaking interview with Steve Witkoff, where he lays out in detail for nearly 40 minutes, the shocking information and events that occurred during the three meetings with the Iranian regime's negotiators, and not a single so-called major news outlet reports on it.”
He later added: “Instead, we hear endless claims that the military action was unnecessary, that the Iranian regime was ready to make a deal, that progress was being made, that the Israelis forced our hand, that there was no imminent threat, and on and on. Shame on all the media outlets and aggregator sites that have ignored Witkoff's firsthand account.
What Levin may not have realized, however, was the type of content the Big Four News Apps chose to promote instead. Below is a sampling of stories highlighted by each digital news gatekeeper during the review period. Some of the headlines may have been updated since they were captured by MRC.
Yahoo News:
- Parade Pets: “7 Adorable Signs Your Pet Rabbit Fully Trusts You, Says a Vet.”
- Parade Pets: “7 Sweet Signs Your Foster Cat Feels Safe and Loved, According to a Vet.”
- Parade Pets: “7 Sweet Signs Your Dog Has a Big Heart, Experts Say.”
- Buzzfeed: “12 Celebrity Friendship Breakups That Were Just As Messy And Dramatic As Any Romantic Breakup.”
- Buzzfeed: “17 Wild Reasons Celebrity Couples Ended Their Marriages.”
MSN
- USA Today: “Was Jim Carrey's awards appearance fake? Here's what his rep says.”
- Southern Living: “Why Do Dogs Put Their Paws On You? Here's What They're Trying To Say.”
- USA Today: “Her fake Hinge profile went viral. It reveals a big problem with online dating.”
- Newsweek: “Man drops 240lbs by sticking to one simple daily habit.”
Google News
- The New York Times: “Chimpanzees Are Really Into Crystals.”
- Variety: “Christina Applegate Says ‘Anchorman’ Pay Offer Was ‘Offensive,’ So Will Ferrell and Adam McKay Gave Her More Money From Their Own Salaries: ‘I Know My Worth.’”
Apple News
- Los Angeles Times: “‘Brady Bunch’ house declared a historic landmark.”
- The Guardian: “Aston Martin fear they may not be able to race in Australian GP after practice disaster.”
Methodology: MRC researchers examined the top 20 stories on the Big Four News Apps (Apple News, Google News, Microsoft’s MSN and Yahoo News) at approximately 8:30 AM ET from March 4 through March 6. MRC researchers used the AllSides media bias ratings, which categorize an outlet as “left,” “lean left,” “center,” “lean right” or “right” to determine the overall bias presented by Google News and analyzed the results.
