Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr on Saturday threatened the broadcasting licenses of news organizations broadcasting “fake news” about the war in Iran, echoing complaints from other members of the Trump administration about reports on the conflict. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo
Brendan Carr, chair of the Federal Communications Commission, on Saturday issued a threat to broadcasters’ licenses over “hoaxes and news distortions — also known as the fake news.”
Carr is the latest member of the Trump administration to weigh in on what it calls false reporting by major news organizations, including news networks, about the two-week old war in Iran.
President Donald Trump, who has long called organizations, reporters and individual reports “fake news” if he disagrees or dislikes them, and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth this week expressed displeasure with reports that the administration had ignored warnings that Iran would shut down the Strait of Hormuz if it was attacked.
“Broadcasters that are running hoaxes and news distortions — also known as the fake news — have a chance now to correct course before their license renewals come up,” Carr said in a post on X. “The law is clear. Broadcasters must operate in the public interest, and they will lose their licenses if they do not.”
“And frankly, changing course is in their own business interests since trust in legacy media has now fallen to an all time low of just 9% and are ratings disasters,” he said.
Carr’s threat included a re-post of a social media post from Trump attacking the “Fake News Media” about reports that five U.S. tanker aircraft were hit at a base in Saudi Arabia, and specifically called out The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, among other “Lowlife ‘Papers’ and Media.
The reports centered on five U.S. refueling aircraft being struck and damaged at Prince Sultan airbase, with both reports noting that none of them were destroyed and were under repair, which Trump confirmed in his post.
Trump and Hegseth also bristled at reports that military advisers told the administration that while it was confident about killing the Iranian regime’s leadership, it was unsure about who would take control of the nation and whether Iran would respond to attacks by attempting to close the strait.
It is not clear what polls about the media Carr was referring to, however, surveys from both Gallup and Pew Research Center found wide disparities among Americans as to which news organizations and sources of information they do or do not trust.
Between the two, though, the Gallup poll found that just 28% of Americans had a “great deal” or “fair” amount of trust in the media.
Broken down by registered political affiliation, Gallup reported that 51% of Democrats trusted the media, 27% of independents trusted the media and 8% of Republicans trusted the media.
Additionally, the FCC licenses the local affiliates of the four major television networks — ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC — to broadcast over the nation’s airwaves, however the networks themselves do not broadcast. They send content to the affiliates and the licensed affiliates broadcast their content.
This week in Washington
President Donald Trump speaks during an event celebrating Women’s History Month in the East Room of the White House on Thursday. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo
