After press outlets and film critic societies denounced the Walt Disney Company for banning The Los Angeles Times from its advance screenings, the media company has changed its decision and lifted the ban for the paper's film critics.
A spokesperson for Disney released a statement confirming the company's decision:
"We've had productive discussions with the newly installed leadership at The Los Angeles Times regarding our specific concerns, and as a result, we've agreed to restore access to advance screenings for their film critics."
This announcement came after outlets like The A.V. Club, The Washington Post, and The New York Times called for a boycott of reviewing films from Disney, which include Star Wars and Marvel films. A joint statement was also sent to journalists about Disney's actions and how it's disqualifying its films from year-end film awards until they end the ban for L.A. Times.
The dispute started after L.A. Times reported on Disney's forceful tactics in extracting tax breaks from Anaheim, where Disneyland is located. The article points out that Disney takes in $35 million a year from a parking lot owned by the city, which spent $108.2 million to build it, but only charges Disney $1 a year for the lease.
Disney retaliated by criticizing the newspaper for a "complete disregard for basic journalistic standards," and according to the Times, it had been informed that its journalists and critics could no longer attend Disney's advance screenings.
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