Clean Up Your Act or Lose Your Licenses – RedState

We’ve seen so much media malpractice lately, but the situation has arguably gotten worse since the start of the Iranian conflict, as large fake news conglomerates regularly publish false stories.

Several liberal media outlets have implied or outright alleged that the recent jihadist bombing attempt at Gracie Mansion targeted New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Of course, it had already been verified that the two teenage terrorists were attempting to indiscriminately maim and kill people participating in dueling pro- and anti-Iranian regime protests.

Meanwhile, the BBC “mistranslated” War Secretary Pete Hegseth’s remarks to say he meant “death to the Iranian people” when he actually said “death to the Iranian regime.”

The list is long.

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr took note and warned broadcast stations on Saturday that they should consider reporting the truth if they want to keep their licenses:

Broadcasters who broadcast hoaxes and distortions of information – also known as fake news – now have the opportunity to correct their course before their license is renewed.

The law is clear. Broadcasters must operate in the public interest, and they will lose their license if they… https://t.co/7bBgnsbalw

– Brendan Carr (@BrendanCarrFCC) March 14, 2026

As you can see, Carr was responding to a message from Donald Trump in which the president blasted media outlets like the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal for reporting inaccurate information about five planes that had been “shot down” in Saudi Arabia (which was not the case).

Carr’s tweet continues:

The law is clear. Broadcasters must act in the public interest or they will lose their license if they fail to do so.

And frankly, changing course is in their own business interest since trust in traditional media has now fallen to an all-time low of just 9% and is a ratings disaster.

The American people have subsidized broadcasters to the tune of billions of dollars by providing free access to the nation’s airwaves.

It is very important to restore trust in the media, which has earned the label of fake news.

When a political candidate manages to achieve a landslide election victory despite hoaxes and distortions, there is something seriously wrong. This means that the public has lost confidence in the media. And we cannot allow this to happen.

It’s time for a change!

MORE: Why can’t the left-wing media understand that things are going very badly for them when they come across Karoline Leavitt?

Hot Spots: X Users React In Action After Another CNNer Spreads Fake News About New York Attack (Updated)

Carr is right: the public has lost trust in the media. The FCC, however, can’t do much about the scourge of fake news, and that’s because it has jurisdiction over the public airwaves — but not over what newspapers print or the poor quality of cable news. This leaves most major left-wing media outlets, such as CNN, MS NOW, the New York Times and Washington Post, and others, unmoved by his announcement.

National networks like NBC, ABC and CBS also aren’t required to have licenses, but their local affiliates are, so they might want to pay attention to what Carr has to say.

Meanwhile, Trump has successfully punished the purveyors of disinformation; he won settlements worth tens of millions of dollars from ABC News (for anchor George Stephanopoulos’ false on-air claim that Trump had been found civilly liable for “rape”) and CBS News (for his falsified interview with Kamala Harris). It also has other litigation pending, although some cases have been thrown out of court.

However, the best way to combat fake news is for the public to turn away en masse and ignore the worst of the worst mainstream media. We’ve seen a lot of this happen, and we need to see more.

Editor’s note: The mainstream media continues to distract, spin, spin, and lie about President Trump, his administration, and conservatives.

Help us continue to expose their left-wing bias by reading reliable news. Join RedState VIP and use promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your membership.