The Television Critics Association said Tuesday that it denounces Disney’s media blackout of the Los Angeles Times.
“The Television Critics Association understands that screeners and coverage opportunities are a privilege and not a right, but we condemn any circumstance in which a company takes punitive action against journalists for doing their jobs,” the group’s board said in a statement.
This follows four critics groups — National Society of Film Critics, Los Angeles Film Critics Association, New York Film Critics Circle, Boston Society of Film Critics — voting to disqualify Disney films from year-end awards consideration until the blackout is lifted.
Last week, the L.A. Times announced that its team had been blocked from attending advance screenings of Disney films in response to the publication’s news coverage of Disney’s business dealings with the city of Anaheim.