Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr has warned U.S. media outlets that they risk losing their licenses if they report misleading or distorted reports about ongoing tensions involving the United States, Israel and Iran.
Carr warned in a social media post on Saturday that broadcasters must operate in the public interest and that they "must correct course before license renewals take place.” His comments came after US President Donald Trump accused media outlets of spreading “distortions” about developments related to the conflict.
“Broadcasters spreading hoaxes and news distortions, also known as fake news, now have the opportunity to correct course before their licenses come up for renewal,” Carr wrote. “The law is clear: broadcasters must operate in the public interest or they will lose their licences.”
Carr also argued that public trust in traditional media had fallen precipitously, arguing that restoring credibility would benefit media organizations themselves. He explained that trust in legacy media has fallen to about 9% and that some networks are struggling with declining viewership.
The warning follows a post by President Trump on the social media platform Truth Social denouncing misleading headlines about refueling American aircraft at bases in Saudi Arabia.
There were reports that five American tankers had crashed and become unusable, but President Trump disputed that characterization. According to the president, the base was attacked a few days ago, but the aircraft were not destroyed.
“Four out of five sustained minimal damage and are already back at work,” Trump wrote. “One has taken slightly more damage, but will soon be airborne.”
Trump and the White House have repeatedly criticized media coverage as being overly critical or unfair.
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Including comments from the Associated Press
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