A $15 million settlement between Disney and Donald Trump over a defamation suit did not stop FCC oversight of ABC and Disney. The FCC, led by Brendan Carr, probed Disney and ABC regarding DEI initiatives, pressured broadcasters to take action after a Jimmy Kimmel joke, ordered eight ABC-owned local stations to apply for early license renewal, and investigated The View. The FCC then sought public comment on whether The View qualifies as a bona fide news program, an exception it has long relied on. Anna Gomez, the lone Democratic commissioner, said capitulation does not provide protection and that continued resistance can succeed because First Amendment protections apply. She also wrote to Disney’s CEO urging stronger pushback against a sustained campaign of censorship and control.
"When Disney settled with Donald Trump for $15 million over his defamation suit against ABC News' George Stephanopoulos, the corporate maneuver was seen as good for business - if not for the First Amendment. Trump had just won the 2024 election and made no secret of his desire for retribution in office, and the broadcast network, which is subject to Federal Communications Commission oversight, could potentially be in his crosshairs. But the settlement didn't lead the FCC to relent: The agency under FCC chair Brendan Carr probed Disney and ABC over DEI initiatives, pressured broadcasters to take action this past fall after Jimmy Kimmel's joke about Charlie Kirk, ordered eight ABC-owned local stations to apply for early license renewal, and investigated The View."
"Last week, Carr announced the FCC was taking public comment about whether The View qualifies as a bona fide news program, an exception it has long operated under. Anna Gomez, the lone Democratic commissioner at the FCC, sees Disney's recent defense of The View as evidence its learned a lesson - one she'd like other media giants to take to heart. "Capitulation doesn't really buy you protection," she said. "It might buy you some time, but the administration would keep coming back and demanding more.""
"Gomez took the unusual step earlier this month of writing directly to new Disney CEO Josh D'Amaro about the Trump administration's "sustained, coordinated campaign of censorship and control" against the Disney-owned network. Her letter, she said, was to "encourage Disney to basically stiffen its spine. Because if Disney in fact carries this through to the end and continues to fight back, it will win. Because Disney has the First Amendment on its side.""
Read at Intelligencer
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]