UN Rights Chief Condemns FCC Threat to Broadcasters Over Iran Coverage

FCC Chair Brendan Carr made the threat last month after President Donald Trump criticized The Wall Street Journal and other outlets on March 14, accusing them of publishing “intentionally misleading” coverage. The administration has described the reporting as “news distortions.” A day after Carr’s warning, Trump floated “treason” charges against media outlets he accused of spreading “false information.”

Türk’s remarks formed part of a statement about what he called a “deepening clampdown on freedom of expression” amid the US-Israeli war on Iran. He cited mass arbitrary detentions in Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories and Iran, as well as restrictions on free assembly. He also referred to Israeli military censorship measures and the FCC threat, saying the right to report must be protected, not threatened.

Sen. Ed Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat, renewed his call for Carr to resign. In a letter to the FCC chair, Markey said the threat reflected a “continued effort to turn the FCC into Trump’s personal speech police” and warned of a chilling effect on reporting about an active conflict.

The dispute comes amid other complaints by Trump administration officials about war coverage. Pentagon Secretary Pete Hegseth has criticized US media as insufficiently “patriotic.” After a court ruling against earlier press restrictions, the Pentagon closed its Correspondents’ Corridor press area and moved reporters to an unfinished annex in another building. National Press Club President Mark Schoeff Jr. said the changes undermined independent reporting and public access to information about the US military.

Poynter senior media writer Tom Jones also criticized Carr, citing remarks the FCC chair made at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Texas. Jones quoted Carr listing media figures and organizations, then saying Trump was “taking on the fake news media” and “winning.”