NAB President and CEO Curtis LeGeyt has strong words for Donald Trump over continued threats by the former President to media outlets and calls to revoke broadcast licenses of networks due to content disagreements.
In recent weeks, Trump has suggested taking legal action against networks over their coverage of the 2024 presidential race.
The situation began when Trump called for ABC to be stripped of its broadcast licenses following the September 10 debate between him and Vice President Kamala Harris. During an interview on FOX News, Trump claimed the debate was “rigged” by ABC and that the moderators favored Harris. He labeled ABC “the most dishonest” news organization, adding, “They ought to take away their license for the way they did that.”
Responding to Trump’s remarks, FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel stated, “The First Amendment is a cornerstone of our democracy. The FCC does not revoke licenses for broadcast stations simply because a political candidate disagrees with or dislikes content or coverage,” effectively shutting down any possibility of action against ABC.
In recent days, Trump and his allies – including Republican FCC Commissioners Brendan Carr and Nathan Simington – have been pressuring CBS News to release a full transcript of a 60 Minutes interview with Vice President Kamala Harris, which he claimed was edited to portray her favorably after he opted out of the same interview.
In a statement to The Hill, LeGeyt condemned Trump’s continued attacks, saying, “From our country’s beginning, the right of the press to challenge the government, root out corruption, and speak freely without fear of recrimination has been central to our democracy. Times may have changed, but that principle – enshrined in the First Amendment — has not.”
He added, “The threat from any politician to revoke a broadcast license simply because they disagree with the station’s content undermines this basic freedom.”
LeGeyt’s rebuke comes as the American public struggles with news trust. A Reuters Institute study found that 72% of Americans are worried about distinguishing real from fake news, a 3% increase from last year. On the other hand, a separate study shows radio has become the most trusted news source in the US, with its credibility rising from 60% to 63% over the past four years.
As the 2024 presidential race comes to its denouement, LeGeyt’s comments remind of the need to protect journalistic independence from political interference, ensuring that broadcasters can report without fear of retaliation.
This should be no surprise to anyone. He did the exact same thing when he was president. He called for NBC’s licenses to be revoked, and he got the Justice Department to take AT&T to court because they owned CNN. He revoked press credentials of reporters he didn’t like, such as CNN’s white house reporter or NPR’s state department reporter. He fired the management of VOA and installed his friends and cronies. He attacked Twitter and Facebook. If he becomes president again, there will be an assault on any media he doesn’t like. Radio, TV, social media, it doesn’t matter. It will also extend to state governments, as we’ve already seen in Florida. Get ready.
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