The FCC chairman did not name specific broadcasters. He did name specific consequences.
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr issued what agency officials described as a “routine reminder” to broadcasters Saturday, warning them to “correct course” on their coverage of the Iran war or face the revocation of government-issued licenses. The FCC broadcast license threat came minutes after President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social calling legacy media outlets “Lowlife ‘Papers’ and Media” who “actually want us to lose the War.”
Carr did not name specific broadcasters, did not cite specific stories he considered inaccurate, and did not define what “correct course” would look like. He did specify that broadcasters who fail to meet his standard “will lose their licenses.”
FCC Broadcast License Threat Draws Divided Response
Legal experts were divided on whether the chairman’s statement constituted government censorship. The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression called it “outrageous” and “authoritarian.” Governor Gavin Newsom called it “flagrantly unconstitutional.” Senator Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican not typically associated with media advocacy, said Carr had gone too far.
On the other side, the president said Carr was “doing a great job.”
The FCC’s own website states that the “First Amendment and the Communications Act expressly prohibit the Commission from censoring broadcast matter.” Carr himself said in 2019 that the FCC “does not have a roving mandate to police speech in the name of the ‘public interest.'” A spokesman for Carr did not respond to a question about whether his current position differs from his 2019 position, or whether the position changed on a specific date.
Trust Figures and Election Math
Carr cited a figure of 9 percent public trust in legacy media, which he called “an all time low.” The figure appears to come from a 2020 Gallup survey finding that 9 percent of Americans have “a great deal” of trust in mass media. The same survey found an additional 31 percent reported “a fair amount” of trust. Carr did not reference the second figure. He also described the 2024 presidential election as a “landslide.” Trump received 49.9 percent of the popular vote.
Wartime Media Campaign Escalates
Saturday’s statement is the latest escalation in an administration media campaign that has included expanding the equal-time rule to cover late-night television, resulting in CBS blocking an interview by Stephen Colbert with a Democratic Senate candidate. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth separately complained about CNN’s war reporting Friday and suggested the network would improve once the Skydance-Paramount merger — a transaction requiring administration approval — is complete.
On Friday, the president shared an infographic titled “President Trump Is Reshaping the Media,” listing the departures of prominent journalists under a section labeled “Gone.”
Anna Gomez, the FCC’s sole Democratic commissioner, noted that the threats themselves are the intended mechanism. There is a term for it, she said: “jawboning.” The FCC does not need to revoke a single license for the warning to achieve its desired effect.
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