Federal Communications Commission chairman Brendan Carr. (Photo: X/@BrendanCarrFCC)
The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Brendan Carr, has warned that US television networks could lose their broadcast licences if their coverage of the war with Iran does not meet the “public interest” requirement, drawing strong criticism from politicians and media groups.
Carr’s comments came after US President Donald Trump criticised news coverage of the conflict. Writing on X, Carr said broadcasters spreading “hoaxes and news distortions” should “correct course”.
“Broadcasters that are running hoaxes and news distortions – also known as fake news – have a chance now to correct course before their licence renewals come up,” Carr said in the post. “Broadcasters must operate in the public interest, and they will lose their licences if they do not.”
Constitutional law 101:
“No one has a First Amendment right to a license or to monopolize a radio frequency; to deny a station license because ‘the public interest’ requires it ‘is not a denial of free speech.’” Supreme Court in Red Lion quoting NBC v. United States, 319 U. S.… https://t.co/0fcQmQuQJw
The warning triggered sharp backlash from Democrats and some Republicans, who said the comments raised concerns about press freedom.
Political backlash over free speech
Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, criticised the remarks on X and said threatening licences over coverage of the war would violate constitutional protections.
“If Trump doesn’t like your coverage of the war, his FCC will pull your broadcast licence. That is flagrantly unconstitutional,” Newsom wrote.
Democratic senator Elizabeth Warren also criticised the warning.
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“Constitutional law 101: it’s illegal for the government to censor free speech it just doesn’t like about Trump’s Iran war. This threat is straight out of the authoritarian playbook,” Warren said.
Trump backs FCC chair
Trump welcomed Carr’s comments and accused some news organisations of spreading false information about the conflict.
“I am so thrilled to see Brendan Carr… looking at the licences of some of these corrupt and highly unpatriotic ‘news’ organisations,” Trump wrote on his platform Truth Social.
The president said broadcasters receive access to US airwaves and should not use them to “perpetuate lies”.
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Carr later defended his position on X, saying the FCC can deny or revoke a licence if a broadcaster fails to serve the public interest, adding that “no one has a First Amendment right to a licence”.
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Federal Communications Commission chairman Brendan Carr. (Photo: X/@BrendanCarrFCC) 
