Upset at Iran war coverage, FCC chair warns TV networks with license revocation; faces backlash, Trump applauds

Washington: US Federal Communications Commission chairman Brendan Carr has warned American news television networks of revocation of broadcast licenses over their coverage of the Iran war, remarks that drew sharp political backlash.

After US President Donald Trump lashed out at the media coverage of the Iran war, Carr asked news broadcasters to "correct course" and "operate in public interest", failing which they risk losing 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. The law is clear. Broadcasters must operate in the public interest, and they will lose their licenses if they do not," Carr said in a post on X on Saturday.

The FCC chair's remarks drew sharp criticism from Democrats who cited the First Amendment that guarantees free speech and freedom of the press.

"If Trump doesn't like your coverage of the war, his FCC will pull your broadcast license. That is flagrantly unconstitutional," Gavin Newsom, California Governor, said in a post on X.

Trump was all praise for Carr's actions and accused the news television networks of spreading lies about the Iran war by circulating AI-generated videos.

"I am so thrilled to see Brendan Carr, the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), looking at the licenses of some of these Corrupt and Highly Unpatriotic "News" Organizations. They get Billions of Dollars of FREE American Airwaves, and use it to perpetuate LIES, both in News and almost all of their Shows, including the Late Night Morons, who get gigantic Salaries for horrible Ratings, and never get, as I used to say in The Apprentice, "FIRED"," Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Sunday.

Democrat Senator Elizabeth Warren said the threat held out by the FCC Chair was "straight 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. This threat is straight out of the authoritarian playbook," Warren said.

The FCC Chair said that changing course is in the business interests of television news networks, as trust in legacy media has now fallen to an all-time low of just nine per cent and is a ratings disaster.

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

"When a political candidate is able to win a landslide election victory in the face of hoaxes and distortions, there is something very wrong. It means the public has lost faith and confidence in the media. And we can't allow that to happen," Carr said.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that five refuelling tankers were struck during an Iranian missile strike on the Prince Sultan air base in Saudi Arabia.

In a Truth Social post, Trump called that an "intentionally misleading headline," citing the Journal, The New York Times and what he called other "Lowlife" papers.

Republican Senator Ron Johnson, a key Trump supporter, also voiced his displeasure with Carr's remarks.

"I'm a big supporter of the First Amendment, I do not like the heavy hand of government, no matter who's wielding it," Johnson said in an interview on Fox News' "The Sunday Briefing." "So no, I'd rather the federal government stay out of the private sector as much as possible."

Responding to Warren's statements on X, Carr cited a Supreme Court case to suggest the FCC would be well within its First Amendment right to revoke a broadcaster's license if it was deemed not to be in the public interest.

"No one has a First Amendment right to a license or to monopolise a radio frequency; to deny a station license because 'the public interest' requires it 'is not a denial of free speech,'" Carr wrote.

On Friday, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, at a Pentagon briefing, took exception to CNN's coverage of the Iran war and said that he was looking forward to the network being controlled by billionaire David Ellison.