The Trump Administration again criticized the media on Saturday over its war coverage. Federal Communications Commission chair Brendan Carr took to social media Saturday evening threatening to revoke FCC licenses.
“Broadcasters that are running hoaxes and news distortions — also known as the fake news — have a chance now to correct course before their license renewals come up. The law is clear. Broadcasters must operate in the public interest, and they will lose their licenses if they do not,” he posted.
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The post follows up on a Truth Social post by President Donald Trump. The president criticized media outlets and coverage of the Middle East conflict — specifically Friday’s damage at Prince Sultan air base in Saudi Arabia. Multiple media outlets reported five planes were struck and damaged. Trump said the planes were not actually hit and will be back in service shortly.
“The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal (in particular), and other Lowlife ‘Papers’ and Media actually want us to lose the War,” Trump posted. “Their terrible reporting is the exact opposite of the actual facts!”
The posts continue to spur debate regarding the First Amendment.
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression called Carr’s statement “outrageous” on X.
“When the government demands the press become a state mouthpiece under the threat of punishment, something has gone very wrong,” FIRE said.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., responded to Carr’s post stating his threat is out of the authoritarian playbook.
“Constitutional law 101: it’s illegal for the government to censor free speech it just doesn’t like about Trump’s Iran war,” she wrote.
Carr responded with the Supreme Court’s decision NBC v. United States: “No one has a First Amendment right to a license or to monopolize a radio frequency; to deny a station license because ‘the public interest’ requires it ‘is not a denial of free speech.’”
Saturday’s social media exchange follows a week of media criticism. On Friday, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth opened his press conference pushing back on mainstream media.
“I’ll start, as we often do here at the Department of War, with the bottom line up front, for the world to hear and the press to actually admit that the United States is decimating the radical Iranian regime’s military in a way the world has never seen before,” Hegseth said.
Straight Arrow News previously examined how White Houses of both parties have managed media coverage during conflicts. No matter the conflict, each administration attempts to use the media to control public opinion.
