By Leo Sands and Scott Nover, washingtonpost.com, 2-18-26
Two days after CBS late-night host Stephen Colbert said he was barred from airing an interview with Texas state Rep. James Talarico (D) because of the network’s legal concerns about flouting the FCC’s equal-time rule, the commission’s chair, Brendan Carr, defended himself against allegations of censorship.
“There was no censorship here at all,” Carr told reporters at a Feb. 18 news conference. CBS, he said, had a clear path to regulatory compliance by affording interviews to Talarico’s rivals in his primary race to become the next U.S. senator from Texas.
Carr blasted Talarico, saying that the 36-year-old politician “took advantage” of news media “for the purpose of raising money and getting clicks.”
Anna M. Gomez, the only Democrat on the FCC, said Carr’s investigations and threats toward media companies had led to corporate appeasement. » Read More