On his ABC late-night show last Monday, Jimmy Kimmel criticized President Donald Trump and his followers for their actions since Charlie Kirk's murder. Within days, Kimmel's show was suspended, after Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr publicly threatened reprisal. (Kimmel's show is set to return to the air Tuesday.)
The entire affair was blatantly improper, as a federal official leaned on a private company to censor an employee's protected speech. Carr, meanwhile, says he's just pursuing the "public interest." What does that actually mean? Just about anything a regulator wants, it turns out.
Unlike other forms of media, radio and network TV stations broadcast over public airwaves, which the FCC polices by issuing broadcast licenses. Federal law authorizes the FCC to ensure licensees serve "the public interest, convenience, and necessity."
