At least that’s the direction things are heading. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr threatened this Saturday to revoke licenses. “The law is clear: broadcasters must operate in the public interest, and they will lose their licenses if they don’t,” he emphasized.

“Broadcasters that disseminate misinformation and distortions—also known as ‘fake news’—now have the opportunity to correct course before their license renewals,” he said on social media.

The FCC chairman did not mention a specific network or cite any news reports with misrepresentation; however, his post referenced a message President Trump shared on his Truth Social platform regarding five U.S. tanker aircraft stationed in Saudi Arabia.

“Four of the five were virtually undamaged and are now back in service,” Trump wrote. “None were destroyed—or even close to being destroyed—as the ‘fake news’ headlines claimed,” he emphasized.

The Republican president has repeatedly accused the media of falsely reporting on the war launched in the early hours of February 28 against the Islamic Republic.

But this issue is not new. Last September, the occupant of the Oval Office suggested that U.S. television networks should face licensing scrutiny if they are too critical of him, which was considered at the time his most far-reaching threat to so-called press freedom.

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