Disney's diversity and inclusion policies are under investigation by the US government agency that regulates television, the latest sign of pressure on media firms. Brendan Carr, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), notified Disney and its News subsidiary of the plan in a Friday letter. He explained the move was prompted by concerns that the company was encouraging diversity "in a way that does not meet" government guidelines. The American embassy in France wrote to French firms holding US government contracts this week, asking them to sign up and adhere to Trump's executive order prohibiting DEI programs.
The directive, as per the letter, "targets all suppliers and service providers to the US government, irrespective of their nationality and place of business."FCC chairman Carr, in a letter to Disney CEO Robert Iger, said he wanted to make sure that the media company "brings to an end any discriminatory initiatives in substance, not merely name.".He continued: "I want to establish whether Disney's conduct-whether continuous or recently concluded-was at all times by relevant FCC rules." Carr joined the FCC in 2017 and was appointed to head the agency by Trump in November.
Since taking office, he has accelerated the examination of media companies, conducting investigations of NPR and PBS and seeking data from Big Tech operators, such as Apple and Google, on the use of their services that help determine how news stories are rranked The FCC also released the probes of Verizon and Comcast and their media NBCUniversal, concerning their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) popolicies isney, which is most famous for its cartoon franchises and theme parks, altered its DEI policies earlier this year."Although I have heard that Disney recently rolled back some of its DEI initiatives, serious concerns persist," Carr wrote in the letter.
"I want to make sure that Disney and ABC have not been discriminating against FCC equal employment opportunity rules by encouraging invidious types of DEI discrimination," he said. Carr stated that he had asked for details regarding diversity representation rules on its characters and other initiatives.
Following an on-air lie by a lead anchor when she falsely alleged Donald Trump was deemed "liable for rape," the company reached a deal last year to pay $15 million to settle a defamation lawsuit that President Trump initiated. A New York jury had already established that Trump was responsible for "sexual abuse," which has a specific meaning in New York law. Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis also clashed with Disney for years after the company criticized a state bill called "Don't Say Gay" that banned teaching sexuality in schools.
