FCC Chairman Brendan Carr on Friday, rejected a bipartisan petition to repeal the agency’s long-dormant “news distortion” policy, responding with a blunt “How about no” on X.
The petition, filed November 13 by seven former FCC chairs and commissioners—five Republicans and two Democrats—urged full repeal, calling the policy unconstitutional, outdated, and ripe for partisan abuse. Signers included Reagan-era chairs Mark Fowler and Dennis Patrick, Obama-era chair Tom Wheeler, and others spanning 1981–2017.
Carr has revived the policy to target perceived bias in major networks, citing complaints against CBS’s 60 Minutes (Kamala Harris interview editing), ABC’s debate moderation, and Jimmy Kimmel’s monologue. No final rulings have issued, but threats of license revocation have prompted settlements (e.g., CBS parent Paramount paid Trump $16 million) and content changes.
Democratic FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez backs the petition, warning the vague rule chills speech. Senate oversight is set for December 17, 2025; legal challenges may follow if the FCC ignores the plea.
How about no
— Brendan Carr (@BrendanCarrFCC) November 13, 2025
On my watch, the FCC will continue to hold broadcasters accountable to their public interest obligations.
And it is quite rich for the exact same people that pressured prior FCCs to censor conservatives *through the news distortion policy* to now object to the… https://t.co/ICuVwo187w
The policy, dormant for decades, bars deliberate staging or slanting of news but clashes with First Amendment protections in today’s multi-platform media landscape.
The policy's revival under Carr stems from complaints, often filed by conservative groups like the Center for American Rights, targeting mainstream outlets:
- CBS's 60 Minutes (February 2025): An investigation into alleged deceptive editing of a Kamala Harris interview. This led to a $16 million settlement between CBS parent Paramount and Trump in June 2025, after Trump sued the network.
- ABC and Jimmy Kimmel (September 2025): Carr cited the policy after Kimmel's late-night monologue suggested the suspect in conservative activist Charlie Kirk's murder was MAGA-linked (contrary to reports). ABC suspended Kimmel briefly, pulled episodes, and faced license revocation threats; the show was reinstated days later.
- Other Cases: Complaints against ABC over 2024 debate moderation and broader "biased" coverage of Trump, though no final decisions have been issued.