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The chairman of the US Federal Communications Commission has threatened to revoke the licences of broadcasters over their coverage of the Iran war. Brendan Carr accused them of “running hoaxes and news distortions” and warned them to change course “before the licence renewals come up”. Donald Trump has accused several newspapers of wanting the US to lose the conflict. The Trump administration has made a concerted effort to cow the media, suing several outlets and swapping the Pentagon press corps for a selection of right-wing media groups. Most recently, the Pentagon reportedly banned news photographers from its briefings over unflattering pictures of Pete Hegseth. CNN could become the latest broadcaster to be defanged. Its parent company is likely to be taken over by Paramount Skydance, which has already shifted CBS News to the right.
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