In a landscape where trust in mainstream media continues to plummet, a dramatic confrontation is unfolding between traditional journalism and the conservative vision for media reform.
Recent Gallup polling from December of 2024 shows American confidence in national news outlets has crashed to a historic low of 31%. This is down from previous heights of 70%.
The erosion of public trust comes as major networks face increasing scrutiny over their coverage choices and business practices. They are particularly in hot water over their treatment of conservative viewpoints and local journalism outlets.
Against this backdrop of growing skepticism, a powerful new voice has emerged to challenge one of media’s most prominent figures. President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to chair the Federal Communications Commission, Brendan Carr, has issued a direct challenge to Disney CEO Bob Iger.
Carr specifically targeted ABC News’s practices
and what he describes as their contribution
to America’s collapsing faith in national media.
In a sharply-worded December 21 letter to Iger, Carr did not mince words.
He wrote:
Americans no longer trust the national news media to report fully, accurately, and fairly.
Carr pointed to ABC’s recent $15 million settlement with Trump as evidence of the network’s credibility crisis.
The settlement, which came after ABC News host George Stephanopoulos made false claims about Trump on air requires:
– [T]he network to pay $15 million to Trump’s future presidential foundation and museum, and
– ABC must also pay an additional $1 million in attorney fees.
Sources familiar with the matter confirm that Iger personally approved this massive payout, highlighting the serious nature of the network’s missteps.
However, Carr’s criticism extends beyond just the settlement. Indeed, his letter outlines a systematic pattern of behavior that he argues has undermined public trust.
During the September 2024 presidential debate, ABC moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis interrupted Trump with fact-checking seven times. Meanwhile, they never once fact-checked his lying Leftist opponent. Even more troubling, one of Muir’s “fact checks” was later proven false.
Further:
The incoming FCC chairman’s concerns reach deeper into the structure of American media, particularly regarding ABC’s treatment of local stations.
Carr wrote:
The approach that ABC is apparently taking in these negotiations concerns me.
He described what he calls “onerous financial and operational concessions” being demanded from local broadcast stations.
This focus on protecting local journalism resonates with traditional conservative values of community autonomy and resistance to centralized control.
While trust in national news continues to decline, local news outlets maintain significantly higher credibility with their audiences. Carr emphasized this fact as crucial to maintaining an informed citizenry.
He explained:
The profound trust divide that has emerged between local news outlets and national programmers like ABC only increases the importance of retransmission consent revenues remaining available for local broadcast TV stations.
This highlights the need to protect community-based journalism from corporate overreach.
Trump, who has praised Carr as a “warrior for Free Speech,” sees this appointment as crucial to his broader media reform agenda. The selection of Carr, a key author of Project 2025’s media reform initiatives:
[S]ignals a serious commitment to restructuring America’s media landscape in favor of greater accountability and local control.
As this confrontation between traditional media power structures and conservative reform efforts unfolds, Carr’s oversight promises to bring increased scrutiny to network practices.
Carr warned Iger:
I’ll be monitoring the outcome.
He wanted to be perfectly clear that the days of unchecked media power are coming to an end.
For millions of Americans who have lost faith in national news outlets, this development represents a potential turning point. With public trust at historic lows and a new FCC chairman committed to reform, the battle for the future of American media has entered a crucial new phase.
