ACLU, National Coalition Against Censorship and 20 Other Groups Line Up to Support Disney in Tangle With FCC

A consortium of 22 different advocacy organizations are lining up to support Walt Disney Co. as it continues to tangle with the Federal Communications Commission.

“We urge you to continue to defend and exercise your First Amendment rights, so that we can all continue to exercise ours,” reads the letter, addressed to Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro and signed by the American Civil Liberties Union, the National Coalition Against Censorship, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Public Knowledge, TechFreedom and several other groups.

Disney has for the past several weeks grappled with unorthodox pressure from the Trump administration. The Federal Communications Commission, led by Chairman Brendan Carr, ordered Disney to file for renewals for eight of its stations years ahead of schedule. In filings, Disney has said its applications were made “under protest in response to an unlawful, arbitrary, and unconstitutional order.” “The View,” which has thrived in recent years with discussion of politics, has also found itself in the administration’s cross-hairs. The FCC has probed whether the program has violated so-called “equal-time” election laws following the appearance of political figures, launching its investigation after James Talarico, the Democratic Senate candidate from Texas, appeared on the show in February. The FCC issued new guidance in January that late-night and daytime hosts needed to give equal time to political candidates from various parties, claiming the programs might be working along partisan lines.

 “Freedom of the press is such a core component of having a functioning democracy,” says Jenna Leventoff, senior policy counsel for the ACLU, during a recent interview. The groups wanted to remind Disney that “when you’re standing up for yourself, you are standing up for all of us,” she says. Eroding the ability of media organizations to report on things that governments may not approve of will also undermine the nation’s democratic values, she adds. 

“Meaningfully fighting back requires more than strongly worded regulatory filings. It requires that you make clear to the public what is happening to you and to them — that the government is violating the First Amendment,” the letter to D’Amaro reads. “Remember: the public rebelled against the heavy-handed attempt to force Jimmy Kimmel off the air, and stood with you. Disney now has the opportunity to stand with all of us in protecting our rights to watch, read, and access information the government wishes we would not. Illegal jawboning demands decisive and vocal resistance. Your rights, and all of our rights, depend on it.”

Other signatories include Fall of Freedom, Issue One, PEN America, People for the American Way, LGBT Tech, The Media and Democracy Project, The Trevor Project, The Tully Center for Free Speech and UnidosUS.