{"id":2655832,"date":"2026-09-08T09:25:30","date_gmt":"2026-09-08T13:25:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fcc-chairman-puts-tv-networks-on-notice-about-fake-polls-as-midterms-approach\/"},"modified":"2026-09-08T09:27:35","modified_gmt":"2026-09-08T13:27:35","slug":"fcc-chairman-puts-tv-networks-on-notice-about-fake-polls-as-midterms-approach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fcc-chairman-puts-tv-networks-on-notice-about-fake-polls-as-midterms-approach\/","title":{"rendered":"FCC Chairman Puts TV Networks on Notice About &#8216;Fake Polls&#8217; as Midterms Approach"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/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%2Ffcc-chairman-puts-tv-networks-on-notice-about-fake-polls-as-midterms-approach%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=2655832&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>The provided content appears to be a snippet of webpage code and a summarized article. The article reports that FCC Chairman Brendan carr warned TV networks about potential consequences if they broadcast &#8220;fake polls&#8221; that could mislead voters before elections. This warning follows incidents where organizations released mistakenly or deliberately fabricated polling data, such as Median Strategies, which produced and later admitted to fake poll results to demonstrate how unreliable or false data can influence public perception. Carr emphasized that broadcasters receiving government subsidies should operate in the public interest and not push partisan narratives. The article also discusses specific cases like NBC\u2019s Kristen Welker\u2019s comments about Trump\u2019s endorsement record, which drew FCC scrutiny, and explores how fake polls-sometimes intentionally misleading-are impacting electoral processes.the piece highlights concerns over misinformation, media accountability, and potential governmental actions to regulate such practices during election periods.  <\/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\"><br \/>\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\"><br \/>\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><html><body><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_1)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>In an appearance on Fox News on Sunday, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr warned networks that there would be consequences for what he called \u201cfake polls\u201d which might mislead voters before Election Day.<\/p>\n<p>While it was unclear what precisely he was referring to, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/must-see-jibbering-dem-sen-plunges-sheer-panic-fcc-chair-brendan-carr-produces-letter-senator-wrote-desperate-keep-quiet\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Carr\u2019s<\/a> warning comes less than a month after an organization which admitted to showing two candidates with major leads in critical races admitted it had faked the polls \u201cas a short-term social experiment\u201d to show how easily manipulated information could get past gatekeepers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe one thing that President Trump gets, fundamentally, is that broadcast TV is completely different than other forms of distribution, including cable,\u201d Carr said during his appearance on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/media\/fcc-boss-signals-major-crackdown-tv-networks-pushing-fake-polls-ahead-midterms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u201cThe Sunday Briefing.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd so many broadcasters right now, they [want to] break the deal that they cut with the American people,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey get billions of dollars in taxpayer, effectively, subsidized distribution. And what they\u2019re supposed to do in exchange is operate in the public interest, not some sort of narrow partisan interest.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think President Trump is over the target, and we\u2019re looking at a lot of actions. For instance, there\u2019s a lot of interest right now in fake polls that are out there,\u201d Carr added.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd so the FCC may put guidance out soon to remind broadcasters about their obligations with respect to not airing fake polls, particularly if they\u2019re done to suppress people heading into the fall.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">FCC Chair Brendan Carr said the agency is \u201clooking at a lot of actions\u201d after Trump called for NBC\u2019s Kristen Welker to face FCC \u201cpunishment\u201d over her characterization of his endorsement record. Carr also said the FCC may issue guidance on broadcasters airing \u201cfake polls.\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/amcXScqCdN\">pic.twitter.com\/amcXScqCdN<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Election Integrity (@USElecIntegrity) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/USElecIntegrity\/status\/2097092542319792257?\">September 7, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The move came after Kristen Welker of NBC News, claimed that Trump had \u201cmixed results\u201d in his endorsement record while acknowledging a recent victory with the candidate he endorsed in the South Carolina special Senate primary, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/darline-graham-wins-primary-runoff-big-push-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Darline Graham<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>This set off alarm bells among media watchdogs, and led NBC to issue a statement about Welker saying they \u201cstand by her\u201d after her \u201cmixed results\u201d remark.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">As I\u2019ve said many times, the FCC has no authority to punish journalists this administration doesn\u2019t like.<\/p>\n<p>These threats to press freedom are dangerous. They undermine the foundation of our democracy, and they have no place in it. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/MFWeaybHMQ\">https:\/\/t.co\/MFWeaybHMQ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Anna M. Gomez (@AGomezFCC) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/AGomezFCC\/status\/2094108363223449603?\">August 30, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>With his \u201cfake polls\u201d remark, however, Carr could have been targeting Median Strategies, an organization which may have played a part in deciding who the Democratic nominee for Wisconsin governor was despite <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/pollster-thanksgiving-hating-socialist-23-points-closes-shop-admits-bungling-wisconsin-race\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">apparently not actually conducting any polls<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Median Strategies, a start-up, had billed itself as a remedy for exactly the issue it was exposing: \u201cPolling has a credibility problem,\u201d it wrote on social media when it opened up shop in early August.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOurs is the fix: no partisan clients, no campaign or party money, numbers that go wherever the data takes them even when it\u2019s inconvenient. Trustworthy polling, rebuilt.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In Wisconsin, it supposedly conducted a widely cited poll that showed controversial socialist candidate Francesca Hong up by 23 points over her nearest competitor. She ended up losing narrowly to Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley when the primary was held last month.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe got Wisconsin wrong- and by quite a margin too,\u201d the organization admitted \u2014 but continued releasing polls, including one showing Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/la-mayor-karen-bass-touted-poll-showing-massive-lead-general-election-turns-deliberate-fraud\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">leading by almost 12 points<\/a> over her opponent, Los Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman.<\/p>\n<p>At this point, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/california\/story\/2026-08-17\/poll-showing-bass-leading-raman-by-double-digits-was-bogus-company-says\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Los Angeles Times<\/a> began to question Median Strategies\u2019 bona fides, which led to the group admitting that it wasn\u2019t a polling outfit at all \u2014 but an outfit designed to show how easily poorly conducted, or even non-conducted, polls could find their way into the media ecosystem.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">LA Times: Karen Bass cheered the results after the fake survey was released last week.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDoing the work, showing up, and gaining momentum. Let\u2019s do this, LA!\u201d Bass posted on Twitter from her campaign account, citing Median Strategies as the source.<\/p>\n<p>The post has since been\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/oLnUTIK7A4\">https:\/\/t.co\/oLnUTIK7A4<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/UbJjq6ZBQr\">pic.twitter.com\/UbJjq6ZBQr<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Politics &#038; Poll Tracker \ud83d\udce1 (@PollTracker2024) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/PollTracker2024\/status\/2089439329664032936?\">August 17, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>\u201cMedian Strategies has concluded its polling project and will not publish additional polls,\u201d Median\u2019s website stated after the ruse was uncovered.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">So this is pretty wild: A polling firm that came out of nowhere to show Francesca Hong with a 23-point lead over David Crowley in the Wisconsin primary has shut down and said its whole operation was bogus <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/QTmlXkvGPC\">pic.twitter.com\/QTmlXkvGPC<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Brett LoGiurato (@BrettLoGiurato) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/BrettLoGiurato\/status\/2089549375664013768?\">August 18, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>\u201cAll previously published polling releases have been withdrawn and should not be cited or treated as genuine polling data. Median Strategies was created as a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/karen-bass-touted-fake-poll-that-showed-big-lead-in-la-mayoral-race-firm-says\/\" title=\"Karen Bass touted fake poll that showed big lead in LA mayoral race, firm says\">short-term social experiment examining<\/a> how purported polling information could enter and spread through the political information ecosystem without independent verification.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s unclear and likely unmeasurable what effect, if any, the poll had on Hong supporters staying away on primary day due to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/fitting-hilarious-crazy-socialist-francesca-hong-loses-wisconsin-dem-gov-guy-re-entered-race-weeks-ago-wife-saw-bird\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">overconfidence in her chances of victory<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are not seeking publicity or attribution for the individuals involved and are declining interviews,\u201d the company told the Times in an .<\/p>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #171717; display: flex;font-size: 16px;font-weight: 600;line-height: 1.5;margin: 24px 0;padding: 18px 20px 18px 30px;text-align: left;\">\n<div style=\"align-self: stretch;border-left: 3px solid #171717;flex-shrink: 0;padding-left: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<p><a style=\"text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/\">Choose The Western Journal as your preferred source on Google and never miss reporting that defends truth, protects freedom, and advances Western civilization<\/a><\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey == typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts = { \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs = [ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i = 0; i < inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]] = document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display = 'block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display = 'none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src = firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display = 'inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id'] = firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting = jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display = 'none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display = 'block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/body><\/html><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>FCC Chair Brendan Carr warns networks about potential consequences for misleading &#8220;fake polls&#8221; before Election Day<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2655833,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Michael-Featured-Image-1350.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[85241,16609,85286,7408,69034],"class_list":["post-2655832","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-fake-polls","tag-fcc","tag-media-regulations","tag-midterms","tag-tv-networks"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Michael-Featured-Image-1350.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2655832","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\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2655832"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2655832\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2655836,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2655832\/revisions\/2655836"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2655833"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2655832"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2655832"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2655832"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}