So here's a thing that's happening: former President Donald Trump is cheering on the Federal Communications Commission chairman for taking a closer look at whether major news networks should keep their broadcast licenses. It's the latest chapter in the long-running saga of Trump versus the media, but this time with some actual regulatory teeth behind it.
On Sunday, Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that he was "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." The accusation? That these networks are misinforming the public about U.S. actions in Iran while receiving "billions of dollars of FREE American airwaves." He even threw in a jab at "Late Night Morons" for good measure.
This isn't coming out of nowhere. On Saturday, Carr himself warned broadcasters they could lose their licenses if they spread misinformation. He pointed to low public trust in legacy media and emphasized that networks must operate in the public interest. The FCC is apparently considering using its rarely invoked "news distortion" rule to take a tougher stance.
Think about that for a second. Broadcast licenses are valuable things - they give networks the right to use public airwaves. In exchange, they're supposed to serve the public interest. The FCC has always had the power to review these licenses, but actually threatening to pull them over content issues? That's playing with fire in First Amendment terms.
Trump's specific targets include NBC and CBS. Last year, Carr shared a post from Trump calling Late Night host Seth Meyers a "Ratings DISASTER" and demanding NBC fire him. (Meyers, for his part, mocked Trump's reactions on his show and noted his declining approval ratings.)
Trump also went after CBS and Paramount, calling 60 Minutes segments on him "fraudulent" and urging Carr to impose fines. This came as the company was working on its Skydance Media merger. The segments in question covered Ukraine and Greenland and were described as standard reporting by Deadline.
Here's what's interesting about all this: it's not just Trump ranting on social media anymore. He's got a sympathetic ear at the FCC. Carr's warnings about license reviews give Trump's complaints a regulatory framework they didn't have before. Whether this actually leads to any licenses being revoked is another question entirely - that would be an extraordinary step that would almost certainly face legal challenges.
But the threat itself changes the conversation. Broadcasters now have to think about whether their coverage might trigger an FCC review. And the FCC gets to flex muscles it hasn't used in years. It's a classic Washington move: you don't necessarily need to actually take the drastic action, you just need everyone to believe you might.
The whole situation raises fundamental questions about who gets to decide what's "misinformation" and what happens when political figures try to use regulatory agencies to pressure media outlets they don't like. For now, Trump seems pleased that someone in authority is listening. The networks, presumably, are less thrilled.
