Freedom of the press
Pressure on US broadcasters over Iran reporting
Updated March 15, 2026 – 12:41 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
The US media regulator accuses broadcasters of distorted reporting on the Iran war and calls for a “change of course”. Anyone who spreads “fake news” risks losing their broadcasting license. That causes criticism.
US media regulators are increasing pressure on broadcasters because of their reporting on the Iran war. Anyone who spreads false news risks losing their license, wrote Brendan Carr, head of the media regulator Federal Communications Commission (FCC), on X. US President Donald Trump had previously complained about the reporting of some US media on the Iran war.
“Stations that spread hoaxes and distorted news — also known as “fake news” — now have another chance to correct their course before their licenses come up for renewal,” Carr wrote. He did not name specific media. “The law is clear. Broadcasters must act in the public interest and if they don’t, they will lose their licenses.” A “change of course” is in the media’s own interest, as public trust is dwindling. “And we can’t let that happen.”
The FCC issues broadcasting licenses for television and radio in the USA. In return for a “valuable license to operate a station over public radio frequencies,” TV and radio stations are obliged to serve the “public interest,” the authority writes on its website. When issuing licenses, the authority traditionally takes a neutral approach. It is not allowed to censor content. The FCC has not refused a license extension for years, writes CNN.
There was criticism of Carr’s post in the US media. The New York Times spoke of a “campaign” against what Carr saw as biased reporting. CNN called Carr an “attack dog at the top of the FCC.” The Trump administration repeatedly exerted pressure to take action against content that displeased the president.
In an interview with CBS, Carr later tried to classify his X post. “People have gotten used to the idea that licenses are something like a property right and that you can’t do anything that could result in the loss of the license,” he said. “I try to make it clear to people that this is not the case, that there is a public interest and that broadcasting is something different.” In 2019, Carr said in an X post that the FCC should not regulate free speech in the name of the public interest. X users now remembered this.
Before Carr’s latest post, Trump took to Truth Social on Saturday to complain about coverage of the Iran war, taking aim at the New York Times and Wall Street Journal newspapers.
In the past, Carr has repeatedly brought up the possibility of revoking broadcasters’ licenses because of various programming decisions. He made international headlines when he threatened ABC with consequences for the broadcast of Trump-critical late-night host Jimmy Kimmel. At the time, Trump and his government were accused of wanting to restrict freedom of expression.
