Trump administration aims broad censorship campaign at Disney, FCC commissioner says
By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON, May 11 (Reuters) – The Trump administration is engaged in a targeted effort to censor Disney and its ABC network with a series of sweeping regulatory actions, the lone Democrat on the Federal Communications Commission said on Monday.
“What Disney and ABC face is not a series of random regulatory actions but a sustained, coordinated campaign of censorship and control, achieved through the weaponization of the FCC’s authority as a federal regulator, aimed at forcing a free and independent press and all media into submission,” FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez wrote in a letter to Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro.
Last month, Republican FCC Chairman Brendan Carr ordered an unusually early review of the licenses of Disney’s eight ABC stations. The FCC hasn’t revoked a broadcast license in over forty years.
Disney’s streaming licenses were not scheduled to be reviewed until October 2028. The FCC immediately ordered the investigation after a joke by ABC late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel drew calls from the White House for the comedian to be fired.
Carr is also investigating ABC’s daytime talk show “The View” after it said it was subject to federal equal time rules for political candidates.
In February, the FCC said it was investigating whether “The View” violated equal time rules on interviews with political candidates after Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico appeared on stage. The FCC said TV talk shows are no longer considered “bona fide” news programs exempt from the rules.
In November, President Donald Trump asked the FCC to revoke ABC’s licenses after criticizing an ABC News reporter for asking what he called an “insubordinate” question to Saudi Arabia’s crown prince about the 2018 killing of a Washington Post columnist.
In December 2024, ABC News agreed to give $15 million to the Trump presidential library to resolve a lawsuit filed by George Stephanopoulos over on-air comments about the civil lawsuit filed against Trump by author E. Jean Carroll.
“This deal didn’t bring you peace of mind. It just bought you time. Disney’s experience since then has made one thing undeniable for any company facing the same pressure. You can’t buy this administration’s favor. For the right price, you can only borrow it. And the price always goes up,” Gomez wrote.
Disney and Carr did not respond to requests for comment.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Paul Simao)
