‘Fake News’: FCC Chair Warns Broadcasters To ‘Operate In The Public Interest’ Or Risk Loss Of License

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr warned media outlets Saturday that they may lose their broadcast licenses if they insist on running “fake news” content.

Carr wrote in an X post he was giving broadcasters who were “running hoaxes and news distortions ‐ also known as the fake news” the chance to “correct course before their license renewals come up.” His warning came in response to a Truth Social post by President Donald Trump slamming “the Fake News Media” for what he called an “intentionally misleading headline” about U.S. Air Force planes reportedly hit by an Iranian missile strike.

“The law is clear. Broadcasters must operate in the public interest, and they will lose their licenses if they do not,” the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman wrote in his post. “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.”

The FCC chief was likely citing a Gallup survey released in September 2020 which showed that only nine percent of U.S. adults had “a great deal” of trust in mass media to report “the news fully, accurately and fairly.”

“The American people have subsidized broadcasters to the tune of billions of dollars by providing free access to the nation’s airwaves,” Carr continued. “It is very important to bring trust back into media, which has earned itself the label of fake news.”

“When a political candidate is able to win a landslide election victory after in the face of hoaxes and distortions, there is something very wrong,” he added, referring to Trump’s sweeping all seven battleground states in the 2024 election, while winning the popular vote by 1.5% percentage points. “It means the public has lost faith and confidence in the media. And we can’t allow that to happen. Time for change!”