FCC Chair Blasts Legacy Media as 'Wildly Out-of-Touch'

Brendan Carr cites lack of trust, hoaxes, and political activism as reasons for declining credibility of national news outlets.

Mar. 10, 2026 at 9:04pm

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Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr criticized the legacy national media during an interview with Breitbart News, citing their 'wildly out-of-touch' nature, hoaxes that 'go in one direction,' and news anchors becoming political activists as reasons for the public's declining trust in these outlets. Carr contrasted the lack of trust in national media with higher trust in local news sources, and said the FCC wants to support and empower local journalism.

Why it matters

Carr's comments reflect growing public skepticism towards the national media establishment, which has faced accusations of political bias, inaccurate reporting, and a disconnect from the concerns of average Americans. As trust in legacy media outlets continues to decline, this could have significant implications for how the public consumes news and information, as well as the role of journalism in a polarized political climate.

The details

In the interview, Carr cited several examples to illustrate the legacy media's 'out-of-touch' nature, including a Washington Post article claiming Colin Kaepernick was the 'most relevant figure' to the Super Bowl, and CNN's controversial coverage of two accused ISIS-aligned terrorists. Carr also pointed to the media's handling of stories like 'Russiagate' and the Covington Catholic hoax as examples of 'hoaxes that go in one direction.' Additionally, he argued that news anchors becoming political activists has undermined the credibility of the media.

  • The interview with Brendan Carr took place on Tuesday, March 10, 2026.

The players

Brendan Carr

The Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), appointed by former President Trump.

Matthew Boyle

The Washington Bureau Chief for Breitbart News, who conducted the interview with Carr.

Colin Kaepernick

The former San Francisco 49ers quarterback who became a prominent Black Lives Matter activist.

Adam Kilgore

A reporter for the Washington Post who wrote an article claiming Kaepernick was the 'most relevant figure' to the Super Bowl.

Don Lemon, Jim Acosta, Dan Rather, Terry Moran

News anchors who Carr cited as examples of journalists becoming political activists after leaving their anchor desks.

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What they’re saying

“There's a big gap in trust between legacy national media and local news journalists. In fact, we can talk about this more, but you see newspapers closed by the dozen all across the country. We've lost a lot of really good gumshoe reporting.”

— Brendan Carr, FCC Chairman

“Something like only nine percent of people have a great deal of trust in national news media.”

— Brendan Carr, FCC Chairman

“You can see example after example. So Super Bowl Sunday — people are gearing up for the big game, they're all excited about it. Washington Post came out with a story that says the most important person to the most recent Super Bowl was Colin Kaepernick, right? [...] No actual human being in America would reach that conclusion.”

— Brendan Carr, FCC Chairman

What’s next

The FCC is expected to announce new initiatives to support local journalism and empower local news outlets in the coming months.

The takeaway

Carr's criticisms of the legacy media highlight the growing divide between national news outlets and the public they serve. As trust in the media continues to erode, the FCC's efforts to bolster local journalism could be an important step in restoring faith in the news industry and ensuring Americans have access to reliable, unbiased information.