The Scoop
California Gov. Gavin Newsom said he is alarmed by FCC Chairman Brendan Carr’s threats against media companies. But despite Democrats’ desire for revenge should they come back into power, he said the party shouldn’t follow Carr’s example.
Speaking with Semafor on Sunday during a stop on his book tour, Newsom said Carr’s warnings about revoking local broadcast licenses from affiliates carrying news networks that have covered negative information about the US’ attack on Iran were “sick.” The governor argued people from all political perspectives should be concerned about federal regulators weighing in on news content.
“In the middle of a war, now we’re talking about propaganda that suits the Dear Leader, because [the Trump administration doesn’t] like independent media,” he said. “So we have to have state media and content that’s driven by state media that comports to their perspective of the truth.”
Newsom has made a political career in recent months out of using Republican tactics against the party in blue states. After President Donald Trump said Republicans should redistrict their states before the midterms, the governor successfully pushed his state to adopt a new map, earning him kudos among Democratic primary voters. The governor has also mimicked Trump’s rhetorical style online, mocking political opponents and complimenting himself in what he says is an attempt to illustrate the crudeness and absurdity of Trump’s signature posting style.
But when asked if Democrats should apply Carr’s tactics to right-leaning media outlets the next time a Democrat can appoint the FCC chair, Newsom said the next chair should not overstep in regulating content, and should follow the existing guidelines more closely.
“No, I want independent thinkers that hold people to account. I want people to appropriate the rules and regulations as they’re drafted, with the constitutional constraints and constructs, but also the laws that Congress has enacted, and you enforce those at the executive level with truth and objectivity. None of that is on display right now. It’s all subjectivity. It’s all about kissing the ring.”
Know More
The California governor and presumptive presidential candidate has been attempting to introduce himself to non-Californian voters familiar with him via his scandals or fights with the president. He spoke with Semafor as he was finishing up a multicity swing through urban hubs in red states like Miami and Nashville.
But while he has attempted to meet and connect with voters on the tour, the governor has been paying close attention to the new media environment, sitting down with podcasters and influencers, and weighing in on the macro corporate media stories shaping the landscape.
Meanwhile, California’s attorney general has launched an inquiry into Paramount’s acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery — though Newsom said the probe isn’t a personal attack on owner David Ellison.
Newsom said he’s concerned about the amount of debt Paramount was taking on to acquire WBD, and whether it will inevitably lead to massive consolidation and job loss in the state.
“We’re doing our job,” Newsom said. “The [California] Department of Justice is doing their job because we know the federal government will not. They’ve already basically signed off on it, which is just in and of itself extraordinary. It was ‘ready, fire, aim,’ as opposed to ‘ready, aim, fire,’ in terms of assessing the merits of this.”