FCC Chair issues course correction warning to networks running ‘fake news’
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Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman Brendan Carr issued a warning He told the media on Saturday that he called on the networks to “mend their ways” before license renewals arrive.
“Publishers who publish distorted news, also known as fake news and fake news, now have a chance to correct course before license renewals arrive,” he wrote on X in response to a Truth Social post about President Donald Trump’s coverage of the war in Iran. “The law is clear. Broadcasters must operate in the public interest and if they fail to do so they will lose their licences.”
He continued, “And frankly, it is in their business interest to change course as trust in legacy media has fallen to an all-time low of 9% and is a ratings disaster.”
In his Truth Social post, Trump disputed newspaper reports about the tanker planes and said the claim that the planes were “crashed” and “destroyed” was not true.
Carr appeared to reference the controversy surrounding CBS and Stephen Colbert in her statement about X. Colbert interviewed Democratic Texas Senate candidate James Talarico and did not air the interview on the show, citing backlash from CBS.
REPUBLICANS ARE ACTUALLY SHUTTING DOWN DEM-DOMINATED TALK PROGRAMS AS FCC AIMS TO CHANGE NETWORK PROGRAMS
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) commissioner Brendan Carr during an open commission meeting at Federal Communications Commission (FCC) headquarters in Washington, DC, on February 18, 2026. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
CBS said that didn’t stop Colbert from airing the Talarico interview, which the late-night host posted on the show’s YouTube channel, and said the show should only have offered equal time to his then-rival, Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas. Crockett placed the blame less on the government and more on CBS and Colbert, who he said did not offer equal time.
Talarico placed the blame squarely on Trump and the FCC.
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“When a political candidate can win a landslide election victory in the face of deceptions and distortions, there is something very wrong here. It means the public has lost faith and trust in the media. And we cannot let that happen,” Carr wrote in Saturday’s post.
Talarico defeated Crockett in the Democratic primary after raising millions following the Colbert interview.
President Donald Trump with Inter Miami CF owner Jorge Mas Santos (left) and Lionel Messi attend an event to honor 2025 Major League Soccer champion Inter Miami CF in the East Room of the White House on Thursday, March 5, 2026 in Washington. (Alex Brandon/AP Photo)
Trump’s Post on Truth Social, Carr responded with threats, specifically calling out The New York Times and Wall Street Journal for misleading headlines.
“Again, a deliberately misleading headline by the Fake News Media about five tanker planes allegedly shot down at an airport in Saudi Arabia and no further use. In reality the Base was hit a few days ago, but the planes were not “crashed” or “destroyed.” Four of the five planes had almost no damage and were already returned to service. One was slightly more damaged, but will be blown up shortly. None were destroyed or close to it as the Fake News headlines said,” the president wrote.
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