{"id":2580965,"date":"2026-03-17T16:12:01","date_gmt":"2026-03-17T20:12:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-media-shouldnt-feel-threatened-by-the-public-interest-but-of-course-they-do\/"},"modified":"2026-03-17T16:14:41","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T20:14:41","slug":"the-media-shouldnt-feel-threatened-by-the-public-interest-but-of-course-they-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-media-shouldnt-feel-threatened-by-the-public-interest-but-of-course-they-do\/","title":{"rendered":"Media Shouldn&#8217;t Feel Threatened By &#8216;Public Interest,&#8217; But They Do"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fthe-media-shouldnt-feel-threatened-by-the-public-interest-but-of-course-they-do%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2580965&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>An article for The Federalist argues that FCC Chairman Brendan Carr\u2019s recent reminders to broadcasters to operate in the public interest are appropriate and necessary, noting that stations can lose licenses for spreading hoaxes or misleading viewers about international events. The piece describes Carr\u2019s stance as a duty to safeguard the airwaves, which are owned by the public, and to restore trust in media. It contrasts Carr\u2019s views with criticism from some media figures, including CNN\u2019s Brian Stelter, who have called the warnings authoritarian or harmful to free speech. The author contends that the First Amendment is not under threat, but that the public\u2011interest obligation serves to prevent deception and ensure responsible broadcasting. The piece also provides background on the author, Eddie Scarry, and links to related topics and tags.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-body body-md bdr-top-black pt-30\">\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=zAZ-GK-H_Ys\" target=\"_blank\">CNN\/YouTube<\/a>       <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-simple\">\n<h5 class=\"label-sm mb-10\">Share<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li class=\"article-share-facebook m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/03\/17\/the-media-shouldnt-feel-threatened-by-the-public-interest-but-of-course-they-do\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Facebook<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-twitter m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=The%20Media%20Shouldn%E2%80%99t%20Feel%20Threatened%20By%20The%20%E2%80%98Public%20Interest,%E2%80%99%20But%20Of%20Course%20They%20Do&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/03\/17\/the-media-shouldnt-feel-threatened-by-the-public-interest-but-of-course-they-do\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Twitter<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-truth-social m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/share?title=The%20Media%20Shouldn%E2%80%99t%20Feel%20Threatened%20By%20The%20%E2%80%98Public%20Interest,%E2%80%99%20But%20Of%20Course%20They%20Do&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/03\/17\/the-media-shouldnt-feel-threatened-by-the-public-interest-but-of-course-they-do\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"currentColor\" style=\"width:36px;height:auto;\" viewbox=\"0 0 92 93\"><path d=\"M69.444 55.716H56.772v10.37h12.672zM64.487 37.795V27.32H38.666v38.664h13.18v-28.19zM21.05 27.321h12.653v10.471H21.051z\" https:><\/path><\/svg>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Truth Social<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-link m-0\">       <button data-clipboard-text=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/03\/17\/the-media-shouldnt-feel-threatened-by-the-public-interest-but-of-course-they-do\/\" data-tooltip-content=\"Copied!\" class=\"clip tooltip\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-link-variant\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Copy Article Link<\/span>       <\/button>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\">       <a href=\"mailto:?subject=The%20Media%20Shouldn%E2%80%99t%20Feel%20Threatened%20By%20The%20%E2%80%98Public%20Interest,%E2%80%99%20But%20Of%20Course%20They%20Do&amp;body=%20https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/03\/17\/the-media-shouldnt-feel-threatened-by-the-public-interest-but-of-course-they-do\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-email\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article via Email<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\"><span class=\"printfriendly pf-button  pf-alignleft\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &amp; Email\"><span id=\"printfriendly-text2\" class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p>Human cheeseball and CNN content creator Brian Stelter is very concerned this week after Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr publicly reminded TV broadcast stations that they in fact do not have a right to deliberately lie to voters using the public airwaves.<\/p>\n<p>Three times in as many days, Stelter has referred to a <a href=\"https:\/\/view.newsletters.cnn.com\/messages\/17737546707165e2d86a57872\/raw?utm_source=cnn_Reliable+Sources+%E2%80%93+March+17%2C+2026&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;bt_ee=mws9pGkg%2BnEDvEIMchQqRqYKMXS9vpy%2F2Kvz95VAVFtkxFn7zPoURF%2BE2g2Ajevq&amp;bt_ts=1773754670718\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">&ldquo;threat&rdquo;<\/a> from Carr last weekend wherein the chairman <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/BrendanCarrFCC\/status\/2032855414233047172\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said<\/a>, &ldquo;Broadcasters must operate in the public interest, and they will lose their licenses if they do not.&rdquo; The statement came in the context of President Trump and other administration officials complaining &mdash;&nbsp;not always justifiably &mdash; that the media were excessively negative in their coverage of our war with Israel on Iran. &ldquo;Broadcasters that are running hoaxes and <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >news distortions &#038;mdash<\/a>; also known as the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lefty-journos-melt-down-over-trumps-2nd-inauguration\/\" title=\"Lefty Journos Melt Down Over Trump&#039;s 2nd Inauguration\">fake news &#038;mdash<\/a>; have a chance now to correct course before their license renewals come up,&rdquo; Carr said. &ldquo;The law is clear.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2 d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-1846111179\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1463670073398-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>In each of his morning newsletters since then, Stelter has highlighted a bunch of Democrats and at least one feckless Republican to bemoan Carr&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/view.newsletters.cnn.com\/messages\/1773596464217e920acb103d4\/raw?utm_source=cnn_Reliable+Sources+%E2%80%93+March+14%2C+2026&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;bt_ee=9db0u3vEF1V4T%2BPEY%2BkBBwe5UaMg8No4UO6F5sFa5rEDhm2Su2eqCC3H1zcwqyOZ&amp;bt_ts=1773596464219\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">&ldquo;authoritarian,&rdquo;<\/a> &ldquo;fascist,&rdquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/view.newsletters.cnn.com\/messages\/177367043105190e437919084\/raw?utm_source=cnn_Reliable+Sources+%E2%80%93+March+16%2C+2026&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;bt_ee=eI%2FXyBqNl7eTOGhsz7rwCVCOrqEr4hLw4Dg6%2Fb233uh0MM2TwWSP0dwsnDTpdw21&amp;bt_ts=1773670431053\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">&ldquo;vindictive&rdquo;<\/a> and &ldquo;unconstitutional&rdquo; observation, as though it&rsquo;s a world class scandal for the FCC chairman to note that it&rsquo;s literally his job to ensure his agency is a good steward of the airwaves, which are owned by the public, not TV stations.<\/p>\n<p>It&rsquo;s true that the government is prohibited from censoring points of view, but the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fcc.gov\/media\/radio\/public-and-broadcasting\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">&ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/nv-supreme-court-orders-counting-mail-ballots-without-postmark\/\" title=\"NV Supreme Court Orders Counting Mail Ballots Without Postmark\">public interest&#038;rdquo<\/a>; obligation<\/a> is long-standing and requires stations to use their access to airwaves to serve the needs of their communities. That includes not lying or willfully misleading their audiences about, say, an international war in a midterm election year.<\/p>\n<p>I know the networks have had a nice run these last few decades, having convinced the permanent Washington bureaucracy that the media&rsquo;s preferences and opinions are paramount and that any attempt to ensure they&rsquo;re acting in good faith is a constitutional violation, but none of that has ever been true. They only got away with it for so long because it benefited Democrats and most Republicans are afraid to do anything about it. Carr apparently isn&rsquo;t, and as the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-transition-team-member-delivers-warning-to-doj-resistance-employees-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Trump transition team member delivers warning to DOJ \u2018resistance\u2019 employees - Washington Examiner\">elected president&#038;rsquo<\/a>;s appointee, it&rsquo;s his right and duty to safeguard the airwaves from all forms of abuse.<\/p>\n<p>Pointing that out isn&rsquo;t &ldquo;authoritarian&rdquo; or &ldquo;fascist.&rdquo; Brian Stelter and his Democrat buddies know that. The &ldquo;threat&rdquo; isn&rsquo;t to the First Amendment. It&rsquo;s to their established communications machine that benefits them politically at taxpayer expense. Brendan Carr knows that.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The American people have subsidized broadcasters to the tune of billions of dollars by providing free access to the nation&rsquo;s airwaves,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It is very important to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/herschel-walker-i-dont-think-anyone-really-trusts-the-biden-administration\/\" title=\"Herschel Walker: I Don&#039;t Think Anyone &#039;Really Trusts&#039; the Biden Administration\">bring trust back<\/a> into media, which has earned itself the label of fake news.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">      Eddie Scarry is the D.C. columnist at The Federalist and author of &#8220;<a href=\"\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B0FR8XCMYC\">Traitors: The Democrat Party&rsquo;s Collapse into Anti-American Filth<\/a>.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Eddie Scarry<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author-twitter label-sm d-flex align-items-center mt-10\">             <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter me-5\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>             <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Visit on Twitter<\/span>            <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/eScarry\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-decoration-none\">@eScarry<\/a>           <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/eddiescarry\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/brendan-carr\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Brendan Carr<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/brian-stelter\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Brian Stelter<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/cnn\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">CNN<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/corporate-media\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">corporate media<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Donald Trump<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/fcc\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">FCC<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/federal-communications-commission\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Federal Communications Commission<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/free-speech\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">free speech<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/iran\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Iran<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/public-interest\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">public interest<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Stelter frets as Carr warns broadcasters to tell truth<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":493,"featured_media":2580966,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Brian-Stelter.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[5157,4188,75988],"class_list":["post-2580965","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-journalism","tag-media","tag-public-interest"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Brian-Stelter.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2580965","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/493"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2580965"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2580965\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2580969,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2580965\/revisions\/2580969"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2580966"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2580965"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2580965"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2580965"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}