ISTANBUL 

US Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr warned on Saturday that broadcasters could risk losing their licenses, echoing criticism from US President Donald Trump about media coverage of the US-Israeli conflict in Iran.

Carr said broadcasters must operate in the public interest, according to the law “and they will lose their licenses if they do not.”

“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,” he wrote on US social media X.

Carr said broadcasters should reconsider their approach, arguing that public trust in legacy media has fallen to about 9%, stressing the need to restore trust in the media, which he said has increasingly been labeled “fake news.”

“When a political candidate is able to win a landslide election victory after in the face of hoaxes and distortions, there is something very wrong. It means the public has lost faith and confidence in the media. And we can’t allow that to happen. Time for change!” he said.

Trump has repeatedly accused the media of falsely reporting on the conflict in Iran.

“The Fake News Media hates to report how well the United States Military has done against Iran, which is totally defeated and wants a deal - But not a deal that I would accept!” Trump wrote in his latest criticism about the media on his Truth Social platform.​​​​​​​