Trump and his FCC chair demand more positive news coverage of Iran war

March 17, 2026

Here's something that caught my attention — President Trump and FCC chair Brendan Carr are pushing for more positive coverage of the Iran war. Now, Carr's been making vague threats to strip licenses from news outlets, claiming they're spreading 'hoaxes' and 'distortions,' without any real proof. According to Jon Brodkin writing in Technology, these threats are more about intimidation than actual enforcement, especially since no licenses are up for renewal until 2028. So, Carr’s words seem aimed at pressuring the media to toe a certain line, but the reality is — revoking licenses isn’t easy or quick. And get this — these moves come amid ongoing efforts to control the narrative around the conflict. As Brodkin points out, this is just the latest tactic in what looks like an attempt to shape public opinion through media pressure rather than actual policy change. It’s a reminder that even in a free press, there’s an ongoing battle over what gets covered — and what doesn’t.

President Trump and the Federal Communications Commission chairman are demanding more positive media coverage of the Iran war. On Saturday, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr issued yet another threat to revoke licenses from news broadcasters, claiming without evidence that they are running "hoaxes and news distortions" related to the war in Iran.

In an X post, Carr shared a complaint about an Iran war headline that Trump had made on Truth Social and added his own commentary. "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," Carr wrote. "The law is clear. Broadcasters must operate in the public interest, and they will lose their licenses if they do not."

Carr making vague threats about enforcing rules against hoaxes and news distortion is nothing new. Given how difficult it is to actually revoke a broadcast license, and the fact that no TV station licenses are up for renewal until 2028, the threats so far have been attempts to intimidate news organizations without any concrete punishment.

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