Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Brendan Carr issued a public warning to news broadcasters on Saturday, accusing media outlets of “running hoaxes and news distortions” in their coverage of the ongoing military conflict between the United States and Iran.
The comments were made in a post on X in response to a statement by President Trump. The President had previously criticized the “Fake News Media” for what he described as an “intentionally misleading headline” concerning reports that five U.S. Air Force refueling planes were struck during an Iranian attack in Saudi Arabia.
Carr echoed the President, suggesting that news organizations may face regulatory consequences for their reporting. He specifically pointed to the upcoming license renewal process as a potential enforcement mechanism against stations he believes are spreading misinformation.
READ: Iran Threatens Regional Chaos As U.S. Blitz Obliterates Kharg Island Targets
“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,” Carr stated.
The FCC Chair emphasized that the legal framework governing airwaves requires stations to meet specific standards of conduct to maintain their right to broadcast. “The law is clear,” Carr wrote. “Broadcasters must operate in the public interest, and they will lose their licenses if they do not.”
Carr concluded his remarks by framing the potential license revocations as a necessary step toward addressing public skepticism of the press.
He noted that it is “very important to bring trust back into media, which has earned itself the label of fake news.”
Under federal law, the FCC does not license cable news networks or digital platforms, but it does oversee the periodic renewal of licenses for local television and radio broadcast stations.
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