The Trump administration’s communications licensing tsar fired a warning shot over the US broadcasting industry Saturday, threatening to cancel the spectrum permits of broadcasters pushing what he termed “hoaxes and news distortions”.

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chair Brendan Carr posted on social media that broadcasters running “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.”

The FCC has control over the electromagnetic spectrum, colloquially termed the airwaves, including “commercial and non-commercial fixed and mobile wireless services, broadcast television and radio, satellite and other services” under the Communications Act of 1934.

Carr’s warning comes amid sustained complaints from Trump and members of the administration over its treatment by what it derisively terms “the mainstream media” and what it considers unflattering or unpatriotic coverage of the conflict in Iran.

In his post, Carr copied a Truth Social post by Trump complaining about “misleading” coverage on Iran.

“Yet again, an intentionally misleading headline by the Fake News Media about the five tanker planes that were supposedly struck down at an Airport in Saudi Arabia, and of no further use,” Trump wrote Saturday on Truth Social.

Trump singled out the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, saying that they “and other Lowlife ‘Papers’ and Media actually want us to lose the War”, calling the outlets’ reporting “the exact opposite of the actual facts!”

“They are truly sick and demented people that have no idea the damage they cause the United States of America,” he added.

Trump’s comments came after defense secretary Pete Hegseth, who has been accused of being thin-skinned about his portrayals in the media and attempting to restrict credentialled reporters from the Pentagon, lambasted the media’s coverage of the conflict.

Hegseth offered a lengthy dissection on Friday of what he termed “fake news” in relation to reporting on US-Israeli action in Iran.

“Some in this crew, in the press, just can’t stop. Allow me to make a few suggestions. People look up at the TV and they see banners, they see headlines. I used to be in that business. And I know that everything is written intentionally,” he said.

Hegseth singled out headlines reading “Mideast war intensifies” alongside visuals of civilian or energy targets hit by Iran.

“How about, ‘Iran increasingly desperate’?” he said.

Hegseth then referenced the acquisition of CNN parent Warner Bros Discovery by Paramount Skydance, owned by multibillionaire Larry Ellison and son David Ellison. “The sooner David Ellison takes over that network, the better,” Hegseth said.

In his first interview as Paramount CEO last week, Ellison pledged to support editorial independence at CNN where staff have registered anxiety at the the change in ownership and potential implications for its editorial stance.

“CNN is an incredible brand with an incredible team,” Ellison said, “and we absolutely believe in the independence that needs to be maintained, obviously, for those incredible journalists, and we want to support that going forward.”

In his post on Saturday, Carr said without any evidence that it was in the news industry’s “own business interests since trust in legacy media has now fallen to an all time low of just 9% and are ratings disasters”.

He indicated he could use access to the broadcast and communications spectrum, which is considered a public asset, to rectify the issue, setting up another potential clash between the government and the media.

“The American people have subsidized broadcasters to the tune of billions of dollars by providing free access to the nation’s airwaves,” Carr wrote. “It is very important to bring trust back into media, which has earned itself the label of fake news”.

Carr also raised an archival gripe about media reporting of the 2024 election, which widely predicted a Democratic presidential victory when in fact the Republican candidate – Trump – won a plurality of the popular vote.

“When a political candidate is able to win a landslide election victory after in the face of hoaxes and distortions, there is something very wrong,” Carr said. “It means the public has lost faith and confidence in the media”.

>>1497264
It’s not the media’s responsibility to make the government look good.

>>1497289
Americans think the fourth estate is some kind of franchised plantation farm

>>1497264
Why is this guy trying for the Architect of the Matrix look?

>>1497266
>Trump singled out the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, saying that they “and other Lowlife ‘Papers’ and Media actually want us to lose the War”, calling the outlets’ reporting “the exact opposite of the actual facts!”
I thought it wasn't a war and we actually already won it last week? Did trump lie to me?

>>1497297
Because they all want to look like movie villains. Have you fucking seen Hegseth lately? Ridiculous.

>>1497299
Only they're allowed to use the W word

I PREFER HONEST NEWS TO PATRIOTIC NEWS.

IF YOU WANT PATRIOTISM PUT IN A BELOW-THE-FOLD FEEL GOOD STORY, BUT REPORT ON THE BIG STORIES HONESTLY OR I WILL SEEK OTHER MEDIA INSTEAD OF YOUR LIES

>>1497289
Tell that to Project 2025 who think unless you totally copulate and tow their propaganda, you're part of the mythical 'far left' media.

>>1497312
>Copulate
Capitulate?

>>1497264
Man, they own FOX, CBS, half of NBC, and will soon own CNN.

>>1497324
media all being owned by the same person is good esl shill

>>1497264
Oh, fuck my fellow liggerals, the billionaires that own these stations must be protected!!!

>>1497312
I voted for Poject 2025.

>>1497383
>I voted for Poject
This tracks

>>1497324
That’s how authoritarians work. Independent media will have to pick up the slack.

>>1497385
Why wouldn't I? It moves the US's political agenda forward. For better or worse, poltics is being modernized.

>>1497390
>Poltics
drunk or esl place your bets

>>1497396
And what's supposed to be wrong here, tardo?
I'll never learn English if you don't teach me.

>>1497387
The media is independent, it has just independently been consolidated under a handful of oligarchs, sort of like Russia. And like Russia, to maintain the illusion of a free press, they'll be able to criticize the regime, but the critiques will be fronted by weirdos and purposefully shallow/retarded, designed to make the opposition out to clowns with no legitimacy.

>>1497403
>The media is independent, it's just controlled by people in bed with the government.

>>1497403
Literally not independent if it’s under control of a handful of oligarchs. Independent is a word with an already established meaning that in the context of media ownership requires amongst other things freedom from influence

>>1497264
I almost cheered when South Park showed this clown shoe tripping down the stairs. And at this point, I have no idea what it will take for the red hats to stop supporting these people. It couldn't be any clearer what absolute monsters they are.

>>1497403
You just described captured media, where the news is nominally privately held and independent, but the people controlling it are all sympathetic to a political party. While less overt than state media, captured media is not considered independent media under most definitions.

>>1497398
>Namefag
>Tardo
>Teach me
Nah stay ignorant lmao

>>1497390
There's so many I could choose from here, I'll just pick one.

In what way is preventing women from voting modernizing politics? That idea is literally regressive. P2025 is conservative. Root conserve. As in resisting change. Maybe that's why you got called an esl shill, not because you clearly have no concept what words mean based on how you miss use them. I'm not that guy and don't think that though, I think you're probably just a misguided dumbass.

>>1497421
They didn't go far enough.

>>1497316
Proof reading is unamerican, but Project 2025 is fucking over the constitution and the American people.

>>1497500
I voted for Project 2025. It's a great platform, unless you're a fag.

>>1497488
>In what way is preventing women from voting modernizing politics?
What are you talking about?
Can you point it out in the pdf?
>P2025 is conservative. Root conserve. As in resisting change.
Yet it seeks change? Interesting. If it's about keeping everything the same, then you have nothing to worry about do you?

>>1497289
Cope.
You voted for a dictator and now you're facing dictatorship problems. NONE of the measures the Trump admin are passing is the government's business or the people's responsibility. But that doesn't matter, they take and you give. What are you going to do?You won't do shit, little bitch.

>>1497503
>>1497383
Bot posts

>>1497503
Here's the pdf:
https://static.heritage.org/project2025/2025_MandateForLeadership_FULL.pdf

explain whats good about project 2025.

>>1497539
it's an organized effort to get shit done. and it's working. you lost esl shill

>>1497539
>explain whats good about project 2025.
If it succeeds, the white guys paying for us to shill from India will let us in for the last immigration pass
Its easy money, you just feed posts into AI and make sure the responses make fun of leftists and anything else on our lists, and we'll get to be Americans when its all over :)

>>1497543
no one pays anyone to post on this site it's a dead site and even when it wasn't no one's opinion here was worth paying to change esl newfag

>>1497542
>it's an organized effort to get shit done
Such as?

>>1497551
too many things to list in a single post. ask a libtard they are very good at keeping lists of all the awesome things project 2025 has done for our nation and will continue to do for our nation

>>1497552
nobody will ever believe you're american

>>1497552
list 5.

>>1497551
Well the war between Israel and Palestine is over.
Venezuela has experienced Regime change
Iran has experienced Regime change.
https://global.toyota/en/newsroom/corporate/43553969.html
https://www.reuters.com/technology/tsmc-ceo-meet-with-trump-tout-investment-plans-2025-03-03/
https://www.commerce.gov/news/press-releases/2025/06/president-trump-secures-200b-investment-micron-technology-memory-chip
And it seems like America is open for business, and trump has used tariffs to get international companies to invest many billions in US manafacturing

>>1497264
>Mideast war intensifies
>"Intentionally misleading, fake news, exact opposite of actual facts, sick and demented!!"
These people are fucking clowns.

>>1497579
None of that happened, anon.

>>1497590
Maduro is still in charge of Venezuela,
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is still the supreme leader of Iran
All that foreign investment was using counterfeit currency

>>1497590
This is why the fascists in charge of project 2025 want to take over the remaining pockets of US media that don't have a conservative bias.
If you don't tow their propaganda without question, you're their enemy.

>>1497579
>Well the war between Israel and Palestine is over.
They're literally still bombing it
https://www.msn.com/en-us/public-safety-and-emergencies/health-and-safety-alerts/israeli-forces-kill-four-palestinians-in-west-bank-palestinian-health-authorities-say/ar-AA1YEiZr

Does this look like the war is over? If war over, why bombs there?

>>1497542
>>1497390
>>1497579
>>1497647
>MUH FAKE NEWS project 2025 is most popular platform ever!!! It moves the US's political agenda forward!!!
hahahahahahaha
https://files.catbox.moe/iuiv0o.png

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA
>This is what winning and moving the US Political agenda forward apparently looks like
>This isn't a tired old man losing his mind as he loses the last few yes-men who will tell him his shit doesn't stink

>>1497697
you're projecting again, esl shill

>>1497700
>Old fuck pants shitter literally hallucinating events on social media
>Y-YOU'RE PROJECTING AGAIN, ESL SHILL
You literally voted for your president to live in a fake reality where nothing is going wrong and everything is OK. But sure, project at me harder ranjeet.

>>1497703
thanks for giving me the power to upset you it's not reciprocal though

>>1497704
We all know you're too fucking stupid to be upset, why don't you go fantasize about sucking orange cock covered in depends sludge?