Mary Margaret Olohan – via The Political Insider August 1, 2019

Apple News banned a top pro-life news source in the country from the platform Wednesday, claiming the organization displayed “intolerance towards a specific group.”

The Apple News platform, a free news app, banned LifeSite News Wednesday, just two weeks after accepting the pro-life outlet onto the platform, saying that LifeSite news’ channel did not comply with Apple guidelines and their content showed intolerance “towards a specific group”.

Apple did not provide further reasons when pressed by Life Site News, Editor-in-Chief John Henry Weston told the Daily Caller News Foundation. Weston said he does not yet know the reason why they were kicked off the platform.

“We are a pro-life and pro-family website, so perhaps they think we show intolerance to women because we protect the right to life of the unborn,” Weston added.

“Or maybe because we are pro-family and we believe that marriage is between one man and one woman”.

Apple accepted LifeSite News onto the platform July 14, only a few weeks before they were told their account had been disabled, Weston said. LifeSite News had continuously applied to publish on Apple News since November 2018, going back and forth with the Apple for several months.

The editor-in-chief said there is growing evidence “tech juggernauts” are purposefully censoring mainstream conservative viewpoints. “Apple’s decision – made unilaterally, and without opportunity to appeal – is frightening,” Weston added, according to LifeSite News.

“It goes without saying that LifeSite would never promote intolerance or hatred against any group,” Weston continued.

“However, in our current divisive political climate, even mild expressions of common conservative viewpoints are often written off as de facto hatred and intolerance. We certainly hope that this is not what Apple is doing.”

Weston added that LifeSite is urging their readers to tell Apple that this kind of censorship is unacceptable. The news site has created a petition, which has already garnered over 26,000 signatures, demanding that “Apple reinstate LifeSite’s Apple News channel immediately.” “If anybody is ‘showing intolerance’ here, it is Apple that is showing intolerance towards the millions of people who rely on LifeSite for our news reporting, and who support our pro-life and pro-family values,” Weston told the DCNF.

Apple did not respond to multiple requests for comment from the DCNF.

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