Key facts
- ABC is accusing FCC Chair Brendan Carr of threatening to revoke its broadcast licenses.
- ABC's lawyer stated the company is tempering election coverage to avoid angering the Trump administration.
- The potential license review is happening years ahead of schedule.
- Decisions about airing presidential speeches and daytime political shows are being influenced.
- A court ruling could affect how all broadcasters weigh presidential mood in political coverage.
ABC is accusing FCC Chair Brendan Carr of threatening to impose a corporate death penalty on its eight stations by hauling in its licenses for a review years ahead of schedule. A lawyer for the broadcast company told a federal judge on Tuesday that ABC programs are already tempering their election coverage ahead of the midterms to avoid angering President Donald Trump.
The Disney-owned network is concerned that the threat to its licenses is forcing it to second-guess how it covers the midterm elections. This consideration is seeping into decision-making around whether to air presidential speeches and what the political line-ups should look like on daytime shows like "The View."