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| Screenshot taken by me |
While scrolling through recent articles about the Disney versus DeSantis situation, I realized two things.
One, I'm surprised and disappointed this feud is still going on. As I'm writing this, it has been exactly seven months since the feud began. You would think one of the most successful company's in the world and a state government, both run by adults, would have had it out by now. Or maybe, in a peaceful world, they would be acting like actual adults and have come to an agreement on their disagreement. Unfortunately, no, this is the world that has seen two world wars and countless other man-made issues, so here we are - continuing to update on an argument between a 45 year old and a giant mouse.
The second thing I noticed was the reoccurrence from different news outlets of the same phrase - "Constitutional Mutiny." I will be defining what this term means in regards to the Disney/DeSantis situation, and then I will examine why the media is so focused on using this term in their headlines.
I find it easiest to understand new terms by defining their parts individually. Constitutional is defined as "relating to an established set of principles governing a state." Mutiny is defined as the "refuse to obey the orders of a person in authority." So, constitutional mutiny must refer to someone or something that is refusing to obey the principles set by the government of a state. This makes perfect sense in the context of Disney/DeSantis, so this is the definition we're going with.
The first article I noticed with this term in their title comes from Yahoo! Finance: "Disney accuses Ron DeSantis of 'constitutional mutiny' in new court filing," written by Alexandra Canal.The second article comes from Deadline: "Disney Accuses Ron DeSantis And Allies Of Un-American 'Ongoing Constitutional Mutiny" In Latest Legal Volley Over Theme Park District," written by Ted Johnson. That one was a mouthful.
The three key words used in both article titles: "Constitutional Mutiny" and "Accuses." Both are very heavy words that hold a lot of impact upon reading, especially in conjunction with the names Disney and DeSantis. So what is going on in this situation and why are these news outlets focusing so heavily on these terms, specifically when referring to the so-called "Constitutional Mutiny"?
According to Deadline, "The Walt Disney Co. accused Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and his allies of being engaged in 'ongoing constitutional mutiny' for targeting the company over its opposition to a parental rights bill'.' Disney's legal team referred to this as a constitutional mutiny because they claim DeSantis are "openly rejecting the foundational First Amendment rule that a state cannot deploy its official powers to punish the expression of disfavored political viewpoints." Surprisingly, this is pretty straight forward so far. Now that we understand the situation, let's examine why it's an eye-catcher in an article title.
The United States prides itself on being a country with an abundance of patriotism. Due to this, reader's of Yahoo! Finance, Deadline, and other American news outlets will be more attracted to titles that reference the American government in some way, such as "constitutional." They will be especially interested if that term is joined by one that is usually violent, such as "mutiny." As for the word "accuses" being used, this word has been a fan-favorite of media outlets since the feud began. When used, it entices reader's to decide who they feel is right or wrong and worthy of being accused of something.
So on the media's part, it's very smart to use the key terms "Constitutional Mutiny" in their article titles. It gains their articles attention, and it's gaining attention for the Disney and DeSantis situation, so perhaps the people who click on their initial articles they will continue to peruse their website for more information about the topic.
Did you read the articles? Do you agree with my findings?
Citations
Canal, A. (2023, October 31). Disney accuses Ron DeSantis of “constitutional mutiny” in New Court filing. Yahoo! Finance. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/disney-accuses-ron-desantis-of-constitutional-mutiny-in-new-court-filing-144839490.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAANvj5O7Oq6csL6euTjk6aOWYj8-6JSXWi-QmUbBqXDQxYJt-MTQCrZAo60nTJSlT9ENskc9tPrPLfjPBF1CGkug-itA3a9UVkXxtPcRkrh_tAc6Gm9dJuiL0OjqP22a7HwloR9rsu0AOYyirFRYFv1Kqv-bx2nSeEL9lHVEt40zf
Johnson, T. (2023, October 30). Disney accuses Ron DeSantis and allies of Un-American “ongoing constitutional mutiny” in latest legal volley over Theme Park District. Deadline. https://deadline.com/2023/10/disney-ron-desantis-florida-lawsuit-2-1235587724/
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