Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro doubled down on the company’s opposition to the FCC’s investigations into ABC’s broadcast licenses and “The View” on Friday, arguing that the network wouldn’t be pushed around by the regulator.
“Our position on this is clear. We’re very principled on this. We’re going to stand up to what we believe is journalistic integrity. And we’re not going to be told how to run that side of our business,” D’Amaro said in a CNBC interview during its D23 Expo. “Our filings, I think, speak for that. I like what we do. We tell incredible stories. I think we do it well. We do it around the world. And we’re going to stay committed to that.”
His comments come as the network has accused the regulator of trying to punish and censor the network over its journalism, in violation of the First Amendment. It has also called for a dismissal of the “untimely and unwarranted” license renewal review.
FCC chairman Brendan Carr has argued the review stems from the agency’s investigation into Disney’s DEI policies, but has also said the network’s decision to limit coverage of a primetime address by President Donald Trump’s primetime address could factor into the proceeding.
The final replies in the FCC’s license renewal proceeding closed on Aug. 5, with Disney and ABC receiving thousands of public comments of support. Carr told reporters last month that the agency would “look at the record and decide based on the evidence before us what the next step will be,” but did not set a specific timeline for a decision.
More to come…
