FCC Chairman Brendan Carr sharply defended his aggressive leadership and regulatory approach toward broadcasters, declaring that the mainstream news media is "drastically out of touch with where the American people are."
Carr made the comments during a roughly 20-minute interview Wednesday at Semafor’s “Restoring Trust in Media” summit in Washington, D.C., an event focused on rebuilding credibility in an industry facing record-low public trust levels.
Interviewer Ben Smith, Semafor's editor in chief, pressed Carr on criticism from former Reagan-era FCC Chairman Mark Fowler, who accused Carr of weaponizing the agency's public-interest rules as a "made-to-order jawboning instrument" against media companies. "This isn’t Ronald Reagan’s FCC," Carr replied. "I think that’s a good thing."
Much of the discussion featured Carr's broad attacks on mainstream outlets. He devoted over two minutes to criticizing publications such as The Washington Post and Time magazine, networks including ABC News, and journalists like Jim Acosta and Don Lemon, accusing them of dishonest reporting.
Chairman Carr notes that newspapers are a cautionary tale for local news. Outdated FCC regulations accelerated their decline.
— Evan Swarztrauber (@SayreEvan) February 25, 2026
He's working to ensure that doesn't happen to broadcast TV and radio. https://t.co/68fxPiAWxT pic.twitter.com/YQJElLICSM
Carr argued that restoring trust requires greater honesty from journalists. He praised Zeteo founder Mehdi Hasan for openly disclosing his political views on President Donald Trump, saying it allows audiences to "factor that in" when reading or watching. He contrasted this with what he called decades of journalists "pissing on your leg and telling you that they’re weathermen."
Smith called the extended critique "a great monologue" and "impressive."Carr offered rare praise for David Ellison's leadership at Paramount and CBS News, months after Ellison's bid to acquire the company involved FCC oversight, saying he appreciates their experimentation with new formats. "They’re trying different stuff," Carr said. "What do you guys have to lose?"
Under the Trump administration, Carr's tenure as the top broadcast regulator has emphasized putting media and entertainment companies on notice through public threats, investigations, and scrutiny of content.
Last week, he launched a probe into ABC's "The View" for a potential equal-time rule violation related to its interview with Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico. He has also questioned longstanding exemptions for talk and entertainment shows like "The View" and "The Late Show" from the equal-time obligations.
The ABC investigation followed months after Disney suspended late-night host Jimmy Kimmel in September, shortly after Carr threatened consequences over Kimmel's comments related to the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.