The Guardian amends report on FCC chair’s remarks amid Trump–Kimmel row

The Guardian has amended coverage of the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show, after wrongly stating that US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chair Brendan Carr had raised censorship concerns during an appearance on The Bulwark podcast.

In fact, Carr’s comments were made in an interview with conservative commentator Scott Jennings.

The error, corrected on 19 September, appeared in a wider article framing Donald Trump’s threats against US networks as an unprecedented assault on free expression. The piece reported on the president’s suggestion that television networks critical of him should have their “licenses” revoked – a claim itself inaccurate, since networks do not require government licences to broadcast.

While the central issue in the Guardian’s reporting was Trump’s escalating conflict with ABC over Kimmel’s removal, the misattribution of Carr’s remarks matters. Pinning the comments to the wrong outlet not only risks misleading readers about who platformed the remarks but also muddies the record of how regulatory figures are engaging with partisan media.

The Guardian’s correction underscores how confusion in attribution can further inflame already polarised debates. Misplacing the venue of Carr’s remarks feeds into broader accusations of bias and selective reporting, particularly at a time when questions over the politicisation of media and regulatory bodies are at the centre of public scrutiny.

For an article explicitly concerned with threats to media freedom, the lapse in accuracy was especially damaging. If trust is to be preserved in coverage of free speech battles, outlets must take greater care to ensure their own reporting cannot be dismissed for basic factual mistakes.