FCC chair Brendan Carr says media were ‘lied to’ over Stephen Colbert controversy

The Guardian - World NewsCenter-LeftEN 5 min read 100% complete by Jeremy Barr in WahingtonFebruary 18, 2026 at 08:36 PM

AI Summary

long article 5 min

FCC Chair Brendan Carr accused the media of being misled in their coverage of the Stephen Colbert controversy, where Colbert claimed CBS blocked him from interviewing Texas Senate candidate James Talarico. CBS stated they only provided legal guidance about equal time regulations, which require equal airtime for all candidates if one is featured. Carr asserted the FCC is simply enforcing existing rules, denying any censorship and noting networks haven't requested exemptions for bona fide news interviews. Colbert aired the interview on YouTube after criticizing CBS's statement, garnering significantly more views than his typical television audience. The controversy stems from differing interpretations of FCC regulations regarding political candidate appearances on talk shows.

Keywords

fcc 90% stephen colbert 80% media controversy 70% equal time rule 70% brendan carr 60% censorship 60% late-night talk shows 50% news media 50% interview controversy 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Negative
Score: -0.30

Source Transparency

Source
The Guardian - World News
Political Lean
Center-Left (-0.40)
Far LeftCenterFar Right
Classification Confidence
90%
Geographic Perspective
Texas

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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