Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr is warning broadcasters they could lose their licenses if they air what he calls “fake news.”
Carr’s comments followed criticism from President Donald Trump, who attacked media outlets over their coverage of the war in Iran.
“I am so thrilled to see Brendan Carr, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), looking at the licenses of some of these corrupt and highly unpatriotic ‘news’ organizations,” Trump wrote on Truth Social over the weekend.
Carr’s remarks have drawn sharp criticism from Democrats and media advocates.
Elizabeth Warren accused the administration of attempting to censor free speech.
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“This threat is straight out of the authoritarian playbook,” Warren said.
The FCC’s lone Democratic commissioner, Anna Gomez, has also pushed back on Carr's idea in the past.
"This FCC does not have the authority, the ability, or the constitutional right to police content or punish broadcasters for speech the government dislikes," she said in September. "Free speech is the foundation of our democracy, and we must push back against any attempt to erode it."
Carr, however, has defended his position, saying federal law requires broadcasters to operate in the public interest.
“Broadcasters must operate in the public interest, and they will lose their licenses if they do not,” he said.
