Journalists Boycott Disney Films After L.A. Times Snub

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On Monday, culture site The A.V. Club and entertainment site Flavorwire joined a Washington Post writer in pledging solidarity with the Los Angeles Times until Disney drops a temporary ban on access for the newspaper.

"The A.V. Club will follow The Washington Post’s lead and — effective immediately — we will refrain from attending any press screenings of Disney movies, at least until the company rescinds its ban on The Los Angeles Times," read a post by A.V. Club film editor A.A. Dowd.

The tiff came into public view on Friday, when the Times publicized the situation in a note to readers and Disney put out a statement accusing the newspaper of showing "a complete disregard for basic journalistic standards" in a recent series of stories about the company's business relationship with its home in Anaheim.

"For as long as Disney locks out the Los Angeles Times, this outlet will withhold the only thing we have of value to that studio: the free advertising provided by not only reviewing their films, but write-ups of their trailers, production announcements, casting rumors, and so on," Flavorwire film editor Jason Bailey wrote. "We will not cover any Disney releases, nor those of subsidiaries Marvel or Lucasfilm (no, not even that one) as long as the Times ban stands."

Alyssa Rosenberg, who writes about movies and television as a pop culture blogger for The Washington Post, announced that she won't attend screenings anymore. "As long as Disney is blocking the critics from the Los Angeles Times from press screenings, I can’t in good conscience attend similar showings or write reviews in advance," she wrote.

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