The Trump administration warns news outlets that are distorting war coverage of Iran could have their broadcasting license revoked.
FCC Warning About War Coverage
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr posted on social media on Saturday, reminding broadcasters to “operate in the public interest,” or lose their 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,” Carr wrote.
This is the latest threat from Carr, who has repeatedly drawn scrutiny for making statements that pressure broadcasters to conform to Trump’s priorities.
Incidents of Media Clash With Administration
Last year, Carr singled out ABC and its distributors to “find ways to change conduct, to take action” on comedian Jimmy Kimmel for being critical of the President on his late-night show.
Of the Kimmel broadcast, Carr stated, “We can do this the easy way or the hard way.” ABC temporarily suspended Kimmel’s show in response to Carr’s comments.
The latest comments from Carr prompted swift condemnation from politicians and advocates of free speech, who likened his threats to censorship.
“This is a clear directive to provide positive war coverage or else licenses may not be renewed,” wrote Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii.
“This is worse than the comdeian stuff, and by a lot. The stakes here are much higher. He’s not talking about late-night shows, he’s talking about how a war is covered.”
Director of public advocacy at the Foundation of Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), Aaron Terr, denounced Carr for threatening to silence negative war coverage.
“The First Amendment doesn’t allow the government to censor information about the war it’s waging,” said Terr.
Trump Criticizes War Coverage
The latest statement from Carr comes in response to a social media post from Trump accusing the “fake news media” of reporting that U.S. refuelling planes were struck down in an Iranian attack in Saudi Arabia.
“The base was hit a few days ago, but the planes were not ‘struck’ or ‘destroyed.’ Four of the five had virtually no damage, and are already back in service,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
Trump added that reporting on the contrary was intentionally misleading. “Lowlife ”Papersp and Media actually want us to lose the War.”
Trump and his allies have been accused of using the power of the state to penalise dissent and critical news coverage, raising concerns about freedom of the press.
Polling of War
According to polls, the war launched against Iran on Feb. 28 is largely unpopular in the U.S.
According to a recent Quinnipac poll, 53 percent of voters are opposed to the military action against Iran, including 89 percent of Democrats and 60 percent of Independent voters.
Legal experts have also condemned the war on Iran, citing it as a violation of international law, prohibiting unprovoked attacks.
Trump has offered multiple variations on why he believes Iran is an imminent threat to U.S. security.
Additionally, he asserts the war has been successful, despite ongoing Iranian attacks on U.S. forces across the region and the shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz.
“We’ve won. Let me tell you, we’ve won,” Trump stated at a rally in Kentucky. “In the first hour, it was over.”
Meanwhile, the Trump administration blamed the news media for turning public opinion against the war.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said, “Yet some in this crew, in the press, just can’t stop.”
Hegseth called for “patriotic” reporters to write more optimistic headlines, denouncing headlines that read “Mideast war intensifies.”
“What should the banner read instead? How about ‘Iran increasingly desperate’? Because they are. They know it, and so do you, if it can be admitted,” said Hegseth.
Sources:
Al Jazeera: Trump administration threatens news outlets over critical coverage of Iran
CBS News: FCC chair threatens news networks’ licenses amid Trump’s criticism of Iran war coverage
USA Today: FCC chair threatens broadcasters over Iran war coverage
Featured Image Courtesy of Anthony Farris’ Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
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