AEfx
Well-Known Member
For the publications? Sure. Somewhat. Not Disney's responsibility to ensure they monetize things.
But as noted above, in terms of the audience - more people go to aggregate sites and just want to view a percentage. Movie reviews, and especially traditional publications, just don't have the influence they once had. There are way more people reviewing movies than ever (not to mention anyone with a social media account). Then when you take into account the fact that it's far easier to actually watch trailers now on-demand, that people generally are becoming very spoiler-averse and don't want to actually read a full review before seeing the film, I doubt anyone would really notice if they weren't making a stink.
Disney doesn't have any responsibility to invite anyone to a pre-release screening. It's a privilege reviewers have become accustomed to. And the LA Times did a one-sided hatchet job on Disney, no matter how you look at it. It had a few valid points, but the entire thing was just so slanted and trashy I would have done the same thing - it went far beyond just reporting on the facts. The talk I am seeing elsewhere about "free speech" and "freedom of the press" is ignoring that big fact we have all had to come to grips with lately - yup, you have those rights (though many misunderstand them). But that doesn't mean you don't have to face the "push-back" for your statements/actions.
In this case, Disney isn't prohibiting them from writing about anything. They just aren't literally rolling out a red carpet for them and giving them free stuff. Boo-hoo.
