Amid surging oil prices and an unpopular war of choice in Iran, FCC Chair Brendan Carr is threatening not to renew broadcasters' licenses for "running hoaxes and news distortions." His Saturday post on X warns broadcasters they "have a chance now to correct course before their license renewals come up."
Carr's post came in response to a Truth Social message from Trump, which focused on war coverage by outlets like the New York Times and Wall Street Journal. (Unlike TV networks, newspapers don't hold FCC licenses.)
The broader context is clear: Trump and his administration are trying to coerce independent outlets into parroting the government line.
Trump's post fixated on a Wall Street Journal report that five refueling planes were damaged in an Iranian strike on a Saudi air base. The more fundamental issue is that Trump appears stuck in a poorly planned war of his own choosing that has upended the global economy. Rather than admit that, his officials are using state power to pressure outlets into obscuring their incompetence.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wasn't subtle Friday, saying he looked forward to CNN being taken over by David Ellison, son of Trump-supporting Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison.
This comes alongside of Hegseth moving to limit the independence of Stars and Stripes, the news publication for members of the US military that has been published continuously since World War II.
Under the new policy, the paper that has mainly operated with editorial freedom, reports that it will generally be blocked from carrying news stories from wire services, as well as from publishing comics. It is also being directed to publish material from the Defense Department’s own public affairs offices.
Carr's move isn't his first. Last year, Jimmy Kimmel was pulled off air after Carr threatened ABC. With Ellison poised to take CNN, having already installed Bari Weiss atop CBS News, the administration may be pursuing a more effective strategy: put friendly billionaires in charge, and let the oligarchs do the bidding without being asked.
@sam.vp explains.
4 months agoprescott1178
Trump has weaponized the FCC to control the media. Fascist playbook first page.
4 months agobubasnyder
There is absolutely nothing about this that is o.k. Are we going to sit back and watch this happen too?
4 months agorls_65_
What hoaxes??? LOL you are poisoned with the leftist drug. Our media has been a joke for years. Sued so many times for misinformation and countless time of twisting the truth. Please if you are trying to report on something be fair about it!!
4 months agopaganpaladin
Fascism doesn't end peacefully, ever. We had one chance, after Trump's very public multi-pronged attempted coup. Sleepy Joe chose to be a power-protects-power leader, and the result is Fascism. Trump won't willingly leave office, unless he gets to pick his own Medvedev. What to do? That's the question. That's the question.
4 months agosmile_073407
Trump and his inner circle are involved in widespread corruption. They manipulate the market and the stock exchange to make a profit; all they have to do is frequently change their minds and constantly create new situations. Netanyahu, Kushner, and others certainly benefit from this.
4 months agodearpaws
All the Republicans want to do this too. This isn’t just trump. It’s his entire cartel.
4 months agoyestherealod
When America let the “grab em by the 🐈 “ comment slide that was the beginning of the end. Any other country it would have been night night on the leadership..
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