FCC chairman sounds clarion call to return to 'unbiased, trustworthy journalism'
"Look, I think we need a course correction," Carr told Fox News' Bill Hemmer. "You know, it's time for America's legacy broadcasters to return to promoting the public interest. And just recently, you know, Skydance, which is looking to acquire CBS, wrote letters to the FCC committing to serious change, to trying to root out bias, to putting in place an ombudsman that would address these issues, to returning... to unbiased, trustworthy journalism."
At the beginning of the segment, Hemmer played a clip of Stephen Colbert's Monday show where Colbert dropped the F-bomb while speaking in response to President Donald Trump, who said, "I absolutely love that Colbert got fired."
"How dare you, sir? Would an untalented man be able to compose the following satirical witticism?: Go f--- yourself," Colbert said in response.
Last week, CBS announced it would be canceling "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" in 2026.
Skydance Media told the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) it would eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and install an ombudsman to crack down on perceived bias within CBS News if a long-planned merger with Paramount Global is approved.
Carr told Hemmer that the anticipated merger is still in the works.
"That merger is still pending before the FCC right now," Carr said. "We are running our normal course review, our normal process on that, and we're taking a look at the record. The record includes these representations from Skydance that they're going to make some changes. That would be welcome news. Skydance has also said they would end DEI if this transaction was consummated. So that's pending before FCC right now, we're running our normal process, and so stay tuned on that one."
Legacy broadcasters will have to return to unbiased journalism and "reorient," or deal with struggling ratings, Carr said.
"That's where we have to go," the chairman said. "And I think we're getting some wins along the way. It's trust but verify. At the end of the day, we're not where we need to go, but I think this legacy media really needs to reorient, or they're gonna continue to run into issues like Colbert where it just doesn't make economic sense to run a partisan circus."
Carr also addressed "The View" and the recent criticism from co-host Joy Behar, who reamed Trump following his call that former President Barack Obama be criminally investigated for allegedly manufacturing intelligence that set the Trump–Russia collusion story in motion.
In a statement addressing Behar's criticism, the White House suggested the ABC show might be in trouble, saying, "It's no surprise that 'The View's ratings hit an all-time low last year. She should self-reflect on her own jealousy of President Trump's historic popularity before her show is the next to be pulled off-air."
"Look, it's entirely possible that there's issues over there," Carr told Hemmer. "I mean, again, stepping back, this broader dynamic, once President Trump has exposed these media gatekeepers and smashed this facade, there's a lot of consequences. I think the consequences of that aren't quite finished. And look, 'The View's' got a lot challenges there. It wasn't that long ago, I think one episode - one show alone - they had to stop, interrupt the show and read four separate legal notices to try to avoid legal liability. So I'm not surprised to hear people saying that their ratings are struggling."
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