Washington, D.C., September 30, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr to refrain from politicizing the agency’s regulatory authority and to respect the First Amendment rights of media organizations to report the news without fear of retaliation.

Under Carr’s leadership, the FCC has reopened investigations into some major broadcasters NBC, ABC, and CBS—as well as public broadcasters NPR and PBS; threatened to revoke local station licenses over coverage; and threatened to block mergers of telecommunication companies if they air certain content.  

“The Federal Communications Commission’s regulatory powers should not be used as a cudgel to punish voices that contradict the Trump administration’s narrative,” said CPJ U.S., Canada and Caribbean Program Coordinator Katherine Jacobsen. “This concerning abuse of authority threatens the First Amendment protections that the mechanisms of the federal government—including FCC Chairman Brendan Carr—should seek to protect, not undermine.”

Comedian Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night talk show on ABC, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”, was briefly taken off air last week after Carr, in a podcast interview, suggested the broadcaster’s license should be revoked over Kimmel’s on-air monologue addressing the death of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk. 

In July, CBS parent company Paramount Global reached a $16 million settlement with President Trump after he accused the network of election interference by editing an interview with then-presidential candidate, former Vice President Kamala Harris. The settlement came while the FCC was investigating a merger deal between Paramount and Skydance. The merger was approved several weeks after the settlement.

CPJ’s email request for comment on how Carr’s public statements have influenced network programming did not receive a reply.