The chairman of the FCC on Wednesday took to social media to warn broadcasters about reporting on what he termed as “fake” polling data.
Carr echoed President Trump who labels anything he disagrees with as “fake,” which in this case seems to refer to polls showing widespread disapproval of his policies. The latest poll from Reuters/Ipsos shows the president at 31% approval while the latest Washington Post–ABC News–Ipsos poll has Trump at 33% approval.
Carr accused broadcasters of emphasizing polls that show Trump in an unfavorable light.
"During this election season, there has been a significant surge in entirely Fake Polls and Suppression Polls designed to do nothing more than interfere with the regular functioning of the electoral process and alter the normal patterns of voter turnout and enthusiasm," Carr said in a Twitter post. “Many journalists and broadcasters have been amplifying or airing these Polls without regard to basic journalistic ethics and without informing the public that those Polls lack a scientific, accurate, or even real basis."
Adding that “the FCC takes these issues seriously,” Carr said that “broadcasters are prohibited by the terms of their federal licenses from engaging in News Distortion or promoting Broadcast Hoaxes. It is important that broadcasters comply with their public interest obligations. After all, the country benefits greatly when Americans can trust and rely on the media to report the news fairly and accurately."
The chairman urged broadcasters to add context to their reports if they want to avoid trouble with the FCC.
“Broadcasters are advised to avoid engaging in News Distortions or running Broadcast Hoaxes by airing Polls that would violate their regulatory obligations,” he said. “If broadcasters believe they should provide their viewers with additional context and information about Polls they have covered, they can now take those actions consistent with FCC regulations."
FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez responded by acknowledging that “pollsters who intentionally mislead the public should answer for it,” but added that “broadcasters who report publicly available polling data should never be punished when a poll is wrong.”
“FCC rules on news distortion or hoaxes do not apply to a station that reports this data in good faith,” she added.
