Public Trust Tracker

MED-006 · Press & media · Broadcast regulation

FCC chair's "news distortion" pressure on broadcasters

Stage 4 of 5: Legal action · Lawsuits, subpoenas, charges · Last development 10 Sep 2026

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr has repeatedly invoked the rarely used news distortion policy against broadcasters: an investigation of CBS over a 60 Minutes edit, a warning to ABC stations over Jimmy Kimmel ("We can do this the easy way or the hard way"), after which ABC suspended Kimmel for about a week, and a March 2026 post telling broadcasters to "correct course" before license renewals over Iran war coverage. Former FCC chairs of both parties petitioned to repeal the policy; the FCC's Media Bureau dismissed the petition in June 2026 while the petitioners sought a court order.

Carr says he never threatened to revoke licenses, and Nexstar says its decision to drop Kimmel was unrelated to its pending FCC deals. No license has been revoked. The CBS/Paramount settlement and merger approval are tracked separately under INV-008.

Brendan Carr
People
Brendan Carr
Agencies
FCC
Reviewed by
Congress (House Oversight minority, Senate Democrats), Federal courts

Timeline

  1. A D.C. Circuit panel denies the petition to force the FCC to rule on repealing the news-distortion policy, finding petitioners had other ways to seek relief; the FCC faces no deadline. [5]

  2. FCC Media Bureau dismisses the petition without prejudice and asks the court to deny mandamus. [4]

  3. Petitioners ask the D.C. Circuit to order the FCC to rule (No. 26-1099). [2]

  4. Carr posts that broadcasters running "hoaxes and news distortions" should correct course before license renewals. [3]

  5. Former FCC chairs and commissioners (Fowler, Patrick, Sikes, Wheeler and others) petition the FCC to repeal the policy; Carr replies on X: "How about no." [2]

  6. Carr warns ABC stations over Kimmel; ABC suspends the show, then reinstates it after about a week. Republican Sen. Ted Cruz likens Carr to "a mafioso". [1]

Responses

  • Brendan Carr: Denied that he threatened to revoke ABC's station licenses. [1]
  • FCC (court filing): Says petitioners can appeal the dismissal to the full Commission, so a court order is not needed. [4]

Who is acting on it

  • Petition Former FCC chairs and commissioners: Asked the FCC to repeal its news distortion policy (13 Nov 2025, What happened next)
  • Lawsuit Former FCC chairs and commissioners: Asked the D.C. Circuit to order the FCC to rule on the petition (28 Apr 2026, Under way)

Sources

  1. AP via Bangor Daily News, 23 Sep 2025
  2. Protect Democracy (advocacy group, petitioners' counsel), 28 Apr 2026
  3. Deadline, May 2026
  4. FCC opposition to mandamus, D.C. Cir. No. 26-1099, 22 Jun 2026
  5. Radio Ink, 10 Sep 2026

Cite this case

Public Trust Tracker. "FCC chair's "news distortion" pressure on broadcasters" (MED-006). Last updated 10 Sep 2026. https://publictrusttracker.org/case/med-006-fcc-chairs-news-distortion-pressure-on-broadcasters/

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