It wasn’t long ago that Brendan Carr, not yet the chairmen of the Federal Communications Commission, made clear that the FCC had no mandate to serve as the roving speech police.

But that was then, 2019 and Carr was not yet Trump’s chair. Times have changed.

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… https://t.co/7bBgnsbalw

— Brendan Carr (@BrendanCarrFCC) March 14, 2026

This isn’t happening in a vacuum, of course, but at a time when the administration is furious that the media isn’t extolling its fabulous victories, from the economy to the war in Iran. As the Secretary of War Defense said, ““The sooner David Ellison takes over [CNN], the better.” If the news displeases Trump, can it be anything but fake? Not according to his press secretary.

This story is 100% FAKE NEWS.

CNN decided to run this garbage based on three anonymous “sources familiar with discussions.”

This is despite the fact that myself, the Secretary of War, the Secretary of State, and multiple lawmakers (who were actually present for the recent… pic.twitter.com/IchmwpDnO7

— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) March 13, 2026

This isn’t to say that the media, be it the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post or any television network, is necessarily accurate or without biases. Nor is it to say that prior administrations, Biden included, didn’t pressure the news media to censor its reporting, particularly as it related to the pandemic.

But the FCC chairman openly threatening to deny broadcast licenses to broadcast media if it publishes news that displeases Dear Leader takes the matter to a whole new level. It would flagrantly violate the First Amendment. And just as importantly, it would turn the media into little more than a Trump propaganda machine extolling his stable genius as he leaps unprepared into unauthorized wars of choice that will continue until he “feels it in his bones.”

There is nothing wrong with being skeptical about the news, questioning its accuracy as much and as often as you want. Indeed, thoughtful people should no more become slaves to believing the media than slaves to believing the president, who demonstrates no reluctance to call totally accurate reporting “fake news” whenever it makes him look like a foolish, narcissistic liar. But we are far, far better off leaving it to the Fourth Estate to decide what constitutes news than government bureaucrats who serve only to please their Dear Leader, like Brendan Carr.