How is the media portraying each side during the Disney versus DeSantis controversy?

      It’s not unknown that certain news stations swing one way or another when it comes to politics. NPR, PBS, and CNN are a few examples of companies that sway more liberal; whereas Fox News is the big name for conservative news. It’s important to know, as a reader or viewer, which news outlets are more liberal or conservative so you can acknowledge bias within articles or segments. How do political preferences within news articles impact how different stories are told? Specifically, how is the Disney versus DeSantis situation being told through the lens of conservative or liberal outlets? How are they similar, and how are they different? How does this impact how people feel towards either side, and is the public getting honest news or is it biased?

To answer these questions, I searched Google for “Disney and DeSantis” information. I narrowed my search to news articles that were published in the beginning of March 2022 and the end of April 2022. This is when the Disney and DeSantis feud really began, around the time that DeSantis announced his “Don’t Say Gay” bill and Disney CEO Bob Chapek responded with his distaste for it. 

Beginning with similarities, a large variation of articles used the same quote in their headlines. They often quoted DeSantis saying Disney “crossed the line” by voicing their opinion on Florida politics. The majority of articles were straight forward with their headlines, as well. Some used emotional words to incite specific emotions, but besides this there wasn’t much bias. When you look at NPR, CNN, and Fox News, however, the bias begins to become very apparent.

NPR and CNN are known to be more liberal when discussing politics. This extends to the Disney and DeSantis debate as well. One of NPR’s articles is titled, “DeSantis wanted to punish Disney. Repealing its tax status may hurt taxpayers instead.” On one hand, this article seems to be informing the public about how DeSantis’ decisions may be affecting taxpayers. On the other hand, it could also be telling a narrative against DeSantis to try and sway people to defend Disney. Similarly, CNN uses specific wording in their article titles when discussing this issue. CNN uses words such as “attack” when describing actions being done by DeSantis. This makes DeSantis appear like the villain and aggressive, and makes Disney appear as the victim in this lawsuit.

     Fox News takes their preference towards DeSantis to the extreme. There were a few article titles that stood out to me that I’d like to discuss. “DeSantis slams ‘woke’ Disney after CEO condemns parents’ rights bill.” The key point here is how Fox News used the title “parents’ rights bill” instead of calling this bill what it’s more commonly known as, which is the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. Although they are using its proper title, they are using it to make it seem justifiable. Every other article surrounding this one on the Google search page, when referring to the bill, used the title “Don’t Say Gay.” This is a small detail where Fox News is showing bias in DeSantis’ favor. Another example comes from a Fox Business article - “Disney exposed: Leaked videos show officials pushing LGBT agenda, saying DeSantis wants to 'erase' gay kids.” LGBT agenda, exposed, gay kids – these are all words being used that push a more conservative ideal, or an argument for DeSantis against Disney.

I was pleased to see that most articles had straightforward titles across the board. NPR, although they can sway more liberally, appeared mostly to be telling the news in a straightforward fashion. The same can be said for the less popular news websites that are sharing their piece on this debate. The public has to be aware of politically extreme websites like Fox News, however, when searching for information on a topic. In this case, it makes Disney appear like the villain, not allowing the reader to form their own opinion.