Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by William L Anderson
“The president was angry at the press, claiming that journalists were spreading ‘poisonous propaganda’ about him. Using the Federal Communications Commission as a political weapon, he threatened the licenses of broadcast firms that employed people critical of him. While Donald Trump likely is the first person to come to mind here, the opening sentences are not about him. They are, instead, about the spiritual standard bearer of the Democratic Party — Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Indeed, while president, FDR used the powers of his office to punish, bully, and intimidate print and broadcast journalists that dared to disagree with the New York patrician. … Unlike Donald Trump — who at least is facing some condemnation from media quarters for his use of the FCC licensing process to bully broadcast media — Roosevelt is almost uniformly presented in the legacy media as a staunch civil libertarian.” (09/25/25)
https://mises.org/mises-wire/presidents-have-long-history-using-fcc-silence-their-critics