I must have missed this when it became public last year. Brendan Carr, the powerful and influential chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, showed up at official government meetings wearing his new lapel pin — a gold-toned image of Donald Trump’s head.
Considering that the FCC is supposed to be an independent and bipartisan agency, it should have been shocking, and it did draw some comments. Predictably, though, some of them were cheers.
The right-wing YouTuber Benny Johnson posted the image of the quarter-sized medallion on X with the approving comment, “Do you even understand the level of fit that Brendan Carr has?”
The New York Times fashion writer Vanessa Friedman was prompted to write a brief history of the lapel pin, which went so far as to observe that the “mere fact that someone who worked for Mr. Trump thought it might be a good idea to display his boss’s likeness on his lapel, no matter how briefly, is notable.”
When it comes to Brendan Carr’s unquestioning loyalty to Trump, a lapel pin — however telling — is the least of our worries.
Last week, for example, Carr’s FCC knocked down one of the last guardrails keeping Trump-aligned media from taking over even more of local TV. They voted to get rid of the longstanding rule that keeps a single media corporation from owning stations that reach 40 percent of the country or more. There would be no more cap, the FCC commissioners voted, but rather a case-by-case review.
Carr always has dubious rationales for his Trump loyalty. In this case, he talked about greater competition. But, as Jon Passantino noted in the Status newsletter, it amounts to “another gift to the administration’s media allies, most notably Nexstar and Sinclair,” which already control so many local stations. Maybe you’ve noticed this in your own backyard.
If Nexstar is able to acquire its rival, Tegna, it would reach about 4 in 5 American households. And Sinclair — infamous for its ordering its local TV stations to broadcast Trumpy talking points on a “must run” basis — would benefit from the removal of the ownership cap, too.
The commission’s only Democrat, Anna Gomez, was disgusted but outnumbered. She called it “unlawful on its face,” since it was Congress that created the ownership cap decades ago.
It gets worse. Gomez’s term expired recently and she’s in a “holdover” status at the moment. She is the only non-MAGA voice on the FCC right now, so she can at least voice dissent if not change much of anything. But Trump, of course, not only doesn’t intend to extend her term but to tap a friendly Republican for the opening. (The FCC has a 2-1 Republican majority with her there, with two vacant seats.)
Even some Congressional Republicans see a problem with Carr’s FCC and Trump’s plans to tilt it even further his way. Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana accused the commission recently of “getting into the foothills of violating the First Amendment.” And Democrats on the Commerce Committee, which have to approve new commissioners, have called for two appointments — a “pairing” — that would at least put one Democrat on the commission.
Then there are the ethics complaints. ProPublica reported last week that FCC commissioners have accepted gifts inappropriately. Carr took tickets to the Kennedy Center honors gala from CBS or its parent company eight times since his 2017 appointment, totaling $75,000 in gifts. He and his wife sat in a private skybox at the most recent gala, with Paramount CEO David Ellison and other company executives. Such seats were worth $125,000 apiece.
Carr has been doing everything in his power to help Ellison’s company grow ever larger and more profitable, including voting in favor of the Paramount-Skydance merger last year. In a complaint, the Democracy Defenders Fund said the public should be able to feel confident that the merger review process “is not compromised by self-dealing or the appearance of impropriety.”
“In his effort to bring the media to heel, Trump could not invent a better emissary than Carr,” said Milo Vassallo, executive director of the Media and Democracy Project — a nonpartisan civic membership organization which opposes rampant and politicized media consolidation.
I asked Vassallo what citizens can do. He offered four suggestions, noting civic activism works — as when Disney was forced to restore late-night host Jimmy Kimmel to broadcast TV after millions of people protested the censorship and overreach.
First, he advised, join the effort to block the Ellisons’ attempted takeover of Warner Brothers Discovery, which includes CNN. Amplify the #BlockTheMerger hashtag, and if you’re in the entertainment business or a civic organization, join BlockTheMerger.com
Second, contact your local, state and federal elected officials to tell them you support efforts to block the merger including the efforts of 12 state attorneys general, led by California’s Rob Bonta.
Third, demand that your members of Congress provide oversight of the FCC and make public statements about Carr’s abuse of power.
Fourth, follow and amplify the “lone and heroic non-MAGA” commissioner, Anna Gomez, who “has been sounding a clarion call about the FCC’s “billionaire buddy bypass.”
You can also follow the Media and Democracy Project on Substack. It’s tempting to tune out amid all the outrages, but this one bears keeping — or becoming — engaged.
Separately, be sure to read this smart piece about how difficult it is these days to “move the needle” by journalist and author Craig Unger, who explains how the media “lost its mojo.” The estimable press critic, Jay Rosen of NYU, wrote on Bluesky that it was the “best thing I’ve read recently about the crisis in journalism.”
“Not that long ago, the press could root out corruption, topple presidents and end wars. Now even the biggest scoops have little impact.”
And Meghan Gourley, new to Substack, offers her reflections on being an editor at the New York Times. Years ago, Meghan was my excellent assistant in the public editor’s office at the Times, and she reflects here on corrections and editors’ notes, from an insider’s perspective. (I also love the photograph she uses as illustration; I have a framed copy at home.)
Readers, I loved your recommendations last week about the opinion journalists and commentators you turn to for insight and sanity.
This week, please tell me how you are keeping active and resisting the urge to tune out — or let me know if you are losing that battle. And what do you think, if anything, can “move the needle” in this current environment?
Thanks so much for being here, and thanks for subscribing. I love the community we are building here, and I deeply value your support and your views. Here’s why two readers decided to become paid subscribers. I hope you’ll consider doing the same at this critical moment for media and democracy.
My background: I am a Lackawanna, NY native who started my career as a summer intern at the Buffalo News, my hometown daily. After years as a reporter and editor, I was named the paper’s first woman editor in chief in 1999, and ran the 200-person newsroom for almost 13 years. Starting in 2012, I served as the first woman “public editor” of the New York Times — an internal media critic and reader representative — and later was the media columnist for the Washington Post. These days, I write here on Substack, as well as for the Guardian US. I’ve also written two books, taught journalism ethics, and won a few awards, including three for defending First Amendment principles.
The purpose of ‘American Crisis’: My aim is to use this newsletter (it started as a podcast in 2023) to push for the kind of journalism we need for our democracy to function — journalism that is accurate, fair, mission-driven and public-spirited. That means that I point out the media’s flaws and failures when necessary.
What I ask of you: Shortly after Trump’s election in November of 2024, I removed the paywall so that everyone could read and comment. I thought it was important in this dire moment and might be helpful. If you are able to subscribe at $50 a year or $8 a month, or upgrade your unpaid subscription, that will help to support this venture — and keep it going for all. Thank you!
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