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*We’re making it easier than ever to take action with us: If we already have your information in our records, you just need to click one of the links or button below to instantly sign the petition.*
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Friend,
As Election Day approaches, new conspiracy theories and schemes are sprouting up to sway or discredit the election results — including one elevated by Federal Communications Commission (FCC) members Carr and Simington. These two Republican appointees — who you may remember from their loathsome opposition to Net Neutrality — are threatening the broadcast licenses of ABC and CBS because they disagree with their coverage choices.1
In particular, Simington ran crying to Fox News2 with these concerns after former President Trump attacked 60 Minutes following the show’s interview with Vice President Kamala Harris. Convenient timing, if you ask me … or you can ask the FCC chairwoman:
“[The FCC] does not and will not revoke licenses for broadcast stations simply because a political candidate disagrees with or dislikes content or coverage,” Chairwoman Rosenworcel said in a statement. “As I’ve said before, the First Amendment is a cornerstone of our democracy.”3
Our stance on this is clear: FCC commissioners don’t get to threaten broadcast licenses because of political disagreements. Add your name if you agree that officials should not target news outlets because of their honest reporting and editorial choices. *One click on the link or button will instantly add your name to our petition if we have your details on file.*
Journalists need to be able and willing to hold government officials accountable. But cowardly politicians and policymakers are doing everything in their power to thwart such scrutiny — in direct violation of the First Amendment.
It’s not surprising that the people who contributed to Project 20254 are already taking authoritarian actions ... and just days before the presidential election, where their candidate preference is clear (Carr expects a promotion to chairman if Trump wins, presumably in exchange for his actions now).5 The FCC exists to protect people’s rights, not to stifle the press and crush political opponents.
This chilling and unconstitutional behavior is completely unacceptable. Sign our petition demanding that the extremists at the FCC respect the First Amendment and stop threatening journalists. *One click on the link or button will instantly add your name to our petition if we have your details on file.*
To FCC Commissioners Carr and Simington:
Threatening broadcast licenses over disagreements about editorial choices in coverage of political speech is chilling and authoritarian — and unconstitutional, too. Journalists need to hold politicians and policymakers accountable; unfortunately, their right and ability to do their job is under attack by some of those same officials at both the state and federal level. As FCC commissioners, you have a huge role to play in protecting the freedom of the press and ensuring that outlets aren’t targeted due to their editorial decisions and reporting — no matter what someone like Donald Trump asks.
Join your colleagues in standing up for the rights of journalists to do their jobs, and reaffirm the commitment to freedom of the press you so readily espouse when any right-leaning media outlet’s accuracy is questioned. |
Thank you for your support,
Heather and the rest of us at Free Press Action
1. “Trump’s Growing Threats to Strip Broadcast Licenses Send Chills Across Industry,” CNN, Oct. 22, 2024
2. “WATCH: FCC Commissioner Explains if CBS Could be in Hot Water Over Controversial '60 Minutes' Edit,” Fox News, Oct. 18, 2024
3. “FCC Chair Denounces Trump’s Calls for CBS to ‘Lose its License’ Over Harris’ ‘60 Minutes’ Interview,” CNN, Oct. 10, 2024
4. “Meet the Project 2025 Co-Author Who Wants to Run the FCC If Trump Wins,” Common Dreams, Oct. 3, 2024
5. “Trump Ratchets Up Threats on the Media,” The New York Times, Oct. 21, 2024
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