BREAKING: FCC Chairman Celebrates MAGA Capture of American Media
On No Kings Day, here's an easy thing you can do to make a difference.
The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission just stood in front of a cheering crowd and said the quiet part out loud.
“Trump is winning,” Brendan Carr declared. “Look at the results. PBS — defunded. NPR — defunded. Joy Reid — gone from MSNBC. Sleepy-eyed Chuck Todd — gone. Jim Acosta — gone. John Dickerson — gone. Colbert is leaving. CBS is under new ownership, and soon enough, CNN is gonna have new ownership as well.”
He made the comments at CPAC yesterday. And it wasn’t covered by the billionaire press.
This isn’t a warning about where we might be headed. This is a government official telling you, on camera, independent media’s demise is underway and going according to plan.
Raw America is one of the last places standing in its way.
Today, on No Kings Day, I know you want to know how you can make a difference. Click the upgrade button right now to do it. Your support fuels the future of news, while the rest of the American media is bending the knee.
Let me catch you up on what happened this week.
In March, Carr threatened to revoke the broadcast licenses over coverage of the U.S. war with Iran. At CPAC, he went further: “If you want to use America’s airwaves for free, you’re going to be held accountable now in the public interest. If you’re a broadcaster and you don’t like the fact that the FCC is going to enforce the public interest obligation again, that’s fine. You can turn your license in.”
You’ve heard that CBS, the Washington Post and the LA Times are under MAGA-friendly control.
What you probably missed: this week, Carr’s FCC just handed control of 265 local TV stations — in 44 states, reaching 80% of American households — to a single company called Nexstar.
To do it, Carr waived the FCC’s own rule against that level of consolidation. Trump pushed for the deal, and Carr complied. Eight state attorneys general and DirecTV are now suing to block it.
This is what the end of local journalism looks like. Carr threatens to pull the licenses of any broadcaster that tells the truth about Iran, and in the same week hands the keys to local TV to one of Trump’s friends.
Raw America has no broadcast license for Brendan Carr to threaten. We answer to you, not the White House. That’s why your subscription matters right now more than ever.
Here’s what Raw America is doing about it.
I started Raw Story in 2004 because I believed the mainstream media protected those in power.
I started Raw America three months ago because the people in power control the news.
This week, I sat down with Miles Taylor, the former Chief of Staff of the Department of Homeland Security who told us exclusively that he thought ICE should be dismantled.
I interviewed Lev Parnas, Giuliani’s onetime fixer, who’s since become one of the most candid voices exposing how Trump operates.
We talked to Michael Fanone, the former DC Metro Police officer who suffered a heart attack on the steps of the Capitol while trying to defend it.
But here’s the reality: we are behind on our fundraising goals.
Not because the work isn’t incredible: think of what we’ve done in just 3 months!
No: it’s because we don’t have Jeff Bezos writing us a check. Every dollar that funds Raw America comes from paid subscribers. Today, we need you.
What you do next matters.
Raw America has no broadcast license for Carr to yank. We have no merger for Trump to kill. What we have is you.
You are literally the only thing standing between us and the MAGA crowd swallowing the free press.
This is not a normal moment. Normal moments don’t require you to act. This one does.
If you’ve been reading us and waiting for the right time to subscribe: this is it.
Not next week. Not after the next outrage. Now. Because the outlets that survive this era will be the ones whose readers decided that independent journalism was worth paying for.
Become a paid subscriber today. It’s one of the easiest things you can do.
We’re not backing down.
Paid subscribers aren’t just how we keep the lights on. They’re what ensures Raw America can grow into the media outlet this moment demands.
The oligarchs buying up our media are betting that people will watch it happen and not do anything. That independent outlets will run out of money before they put the noose around our democracy.
I’m asking you to prove them wrong.
When the chairman of the FCC is standing in front of a cheering crowd celebrating the elimination of the free press, subscribing is one of the most direct things you can do.
On No Kings Day, we’re not backing down. We need you in this fight with us. Join our people-powered movement.
— John Byrne
Founder, Raw America and Raw Story
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