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A Democratic commissioner on the Federal Communications Commission tore into the panel’s recent actions under its new chairman, without naming him, saying the agency has been “weaponized to chill speech and to punish the press.” “We are witnessing a dangerous precedent: the transformation of an independent regulator into an instrument of political censorship,” Anna Gomez, a 2023 Biden appointee, said Thursday during a fiery speech at the 2025 Media Institute Communications Forum in Washington, DC. Gomez did not directly name Brendan Carr, the Trump-appointed FCC chair who has used his authority to pressure media outlets President Donald Trump has deemed unfavorable. Carr has opened investigations into PBS and NPR over their sponsorship practices; reopened a probe of CBS for “news distortion;” reinstated complaints against ABC for its handling of a presidential debate between Trump and then-Vice President Kamala Harris; and opened new probes into NBCUniversal and Disney, ABC’s parent company, over their promotion of diversity, equity and inclusion policies. “This FCC has made clear that it will go after any news outlet that dares to report the truth if that truth is unfavorable to this administration,” Gomez said. In contrast, she applauded past FCC chairs who demonstrated “courage” by “refusing to wield the agency’s licensing authority as a weapon… even in the face of political pressure.” Gomez said she will “refuse to stay quiet” as the federal government “weaponizes its regulatory tools” to violate the First Amendment and attack the news media. After fellow commissioner Geoffrey Starks resigns this spring, Gomez will be the lone Democrat on the five-seat commission, alongside Carr and another Trump appointee. The remaining slot currently sits vacant. “Unfortunately, the administration efforts to censor and control appear to be working, at least for now,” Gomez said. “Some media outlets are finding it is easier to retreat in the face of government threats, veiled or otherwise, than to be responsive to their audiences.” Gomez pointed to changes at CBS News and its flagship news program “60 Minutes” as examples of what gets lost when political pressure comes to bear on reporting the news. CBS News is reportingly considering a settlement of a lawsuit brought by President Trump, which accuses the broadcaster of deliberately mis-editing a “60 Minutes” interview with Harris to manipulate the November election. While many experts have deemed the lawsuit to be bogus, CBS parent Paramount Global has begun discussing a settlement, especially as company chair Shari Redstone looks to complete a merger with Skydance Media — a deal that will require signoff from Carr’s FCC. The pressure to settle the lawsuit and clear the way for a merger has trickled down to CBS News. In late April, longtime “60 Minutes” executive producer Bill Owens stepped down because he felt he could no longer make “independent decisions based on what was right for 60 Minutes,” according to a memo he wrote to the show’s staff. Days later, the newsmagazine’s host Scott Pelley said on-air that Paramount had begun “to supervise our content in new ways” amid the Trump pressure, leading Owens to feel “he had lost the independence that honest journalism requires.” “Pardon my language, but that is a B.F.D.,” Gomez said on Thursday of the “60 Minutes” ordeal, using a shorthand for “big f**ing deal.” She continued: “Corporate parents should give journalists the independence they need. A free press requires free journalists.” Gomez closed by saying that if she’s removed from her seat, “it wasn’t because I failed to do my job. It’s because I insisted on doing it.”
