The Steady Drip: Next FCC Chair Blames ABC for Role in Loss of 'Public Trust' (Connecting the Dots: The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), ABC, CNN, NewsGuard, Oxford University & Soros Funding, All Networking)

Next FCC Chair Blames ABC for Role in Loss of 'Public Trust' (Connecting the Dots: The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), ABC, CNN, NewsGuard, Oxford University & Soros Funding, All Networking)

Newsmax.com

By Charlie McCarthy | Tuesday, 24 December 2024 11:54 AM EST

https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/fcc-chair-carr/2024/12/24/id/1192775/

The incoming chair of the Federal Communications Commission reportedly has accused ABC News of contributing to the "erosion in public trust" of the mainstream media.

Brendan Carr, a Trump-appointed commissioner who will become chair next month, sent a letter to Disney CEO Bob Iger about the Disney-owned ABC network’s negotiations with its affiliated stations across the U.S., CNN reported.

"Dear Mr. Iger, Americans no longer trust the national news media to report fully, accurately, and fairly," Carr began his letter.

"ABC’s own conduct has certainly contributed to this erosion in public trust. For instance, ABC News recently agreed to pay $15 million to President [Donald] Trump’s future presidential foundation and museum and an additional $1 million in attorney fees to settle a defamation case."

Carr was referencing the ABC News agreement to give $15 million to Trump's presidential library to settle a lawsuit over comments that anchor George Stephanopoulos made on air involving the civil case brought against the president-elect by writer E. Jean Carroll, according to a court document filed Dec. 14.

The lawsuit, filed on March 19 in U.S. District Court in Southern Florida, accused Stephanopoulos of making the statements with malice and a disregard for the truth. The anchor incorrectly said Trump was found civilly liable for “rape.”

In his letter to Iger, Carr also stressed the importance of local news media outlets informing the public.

"The fact that a massive trust divide 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 to invest in their local news operations and content that serves their communities," Carr wrote.

The FCC is responsible for managing television station licenses, and renewals rarely are contested and essentially never denied. The commission also retransmission consent, whereby cable distributors pay local stations for the right to retransmit their signals.

Carr ended his letter by saying he will be "monitoring the outcome" of the ABC retransmission negotiations "to ensure that those negotiations enable local broadcast TV stations to meet their federal obligations and serve the needs of their local communities."

Last month, Carr wrote to the CEOs of Apple, Meta, Microsoft and Alphabet demanding that they fess up about their censorship activities targeting conservatives. He asked the Big Tech companies to detail how advertising agencies they work with left-wing media monitors such as NewsGuard.

Connecting the Dots:

ABC News is a subsidiary of ABC Inc.

Robert A. Iger was a president & COO for ABC Inc. and is the chairman & CEO for the Walt Disney Company.

ABC Inc. is a subsidiary of ABC.

Walt Disney Company is a subsidiary of ABC Inc.

Michael D. Eisner was a chairman & CEO for the Walt Disney Company and is a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank).

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Aspen Institute (think tank).

George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.

Walter Isaacson is the president & CEO for the Aspen Institute (think tank) an Oxford University Rhodes scholar and was the chairman & CEO for CNN.

L. Gordon Crovitz was an Oxford University Rhodes Scholar and a founder and co-CEO for NewsGuard.

James M. Manyika was a research fellow at Oxford University and is a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank).

Giulio Tremonti is a fellow at Oxford University and a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank).

John Brademas was an Oxford University Rhodes scholar and a lifetime trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank).

Julius Genachowski is a senior fellow at the Aspen Institute (think tank), was a law school friend of Barack Obama and the chairman for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

Michael K. Powell is a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank), Colin L. Powell’s son and was the chairman for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

Newton N. Minow was the chairman for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and is a senior counsel at Sidley Austin LLP.

Mark D. Schneider was an associate general counsel for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and is a partner at Sidley Austin LLP.

Michelle Obama was a lawyer at Sidley Austin LLP.

Barack Obama was an intern at Sidley Austin LLP.

Cameron F. Kerry is a senior counsel at Sidley Austin LLP, John F. Kerry’s brother and a fellow at the Brookings Institution (think tank).

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Brookings Institution (think tank).

George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.

Sheryl K. Sandberg was a trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and a director at the Walt Disney Company.

John S. Chen was a trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank), is a special adviser for Silver Lake, and a director at the Walt Disney Company.

Silver Lake Kraftwerk Fund is a fund for Silver Lake.

Soros Fund Management is a partner with the Silver Lake Kraftwerk Fund.

George Soros is the founder of Soros Fund Management and was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Brookings Institution (think tank).

Vernon E. Jordan Jr. is an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank), Valerie B. Jarrett’s great uncle and a senior counsel for Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP.

Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP was a lobby firm for the Walt Disney Company.

Walt Disney Company is a subsidiary of ABC Inc.

ABC Inc. is a subsidiary of ABC.