Friday’s editions of CBS Mornings and NBC’s Today hyped Disney’s Thursday announcement that they are cancelling a billion-dollar office complex project in Florida as the sort of thing that naturally happens when Gov. Ron DeSantis decides to pick a fight with them. Neither network gave much thought to the possibility that DeSantis had little or nothing to do with the decision.
On CBS, co-host Tony Dokoupil was eager to suggest DeSantis was the reason for the cancellation, “The Walt Disney company is in the middle of a long-running dispute with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and is now scrapping plans for a new billion-dollar office complex in the state.”
Dokoupil then read a statement from Disney Parks Chairman Josh D'Amaro that cited “new leadership and changing business conditions” for the cancellation.
As for that “new leadership,” buried all the way down in paragraphs 14-16 of the New York Times report that broke the story on Thursday, it was reported that since Bob Iger, who came out of retirement and replaced Bob Chapek as CEO in 2020, “was much less enthusiastic about the project — even before the company became mired in its battle with Mr. DeSantis.”
The Times also reports “Mr. Iger has been systematically reversing Mr. Chapek’s decisions” and goes on to list several other examples of cost-cutting measures Iger has implemented.
Mentioning none of this Dokoupil continued, “Disney, of course, in the bigger picture is suing DeSantis over Florida's move to take control of a district around Disney that the company controlled for a half century and the company’s claiming that this is all retaliation for speaking out against the governor's so-called ‘Don't Say Gay’ law which limits classroom conversation about sexual orientation and gender identity.”
Dokoupil concluded his remarks by recalling, “Just last week CEO Bob Iger questioned Florida's commitment to Disney saying, quote, ‘does the state want us to invest more, employ more people, and pay more taxes or not?’”
Fellow co-host Gayle King loved that quote, “Okay. Drop the microphone Bob Iger. He seems to be saying you want to play hardball, Governor DeSantis, let's go.”
Over at NBC, Gabe Gutierrez also sought to tie the announcement to DeSantis, “The Disney drama has been escalating for more than a year now, and it appears CEO Bob Iger was not bluffing about the financial consequences.”
After previewing DeSantis’s impending presidential campaign announcement, Gutierrez played a Clip of DeSantis proclaiming “We will fight the woke in the legislature. We will fight the woke in corporate America. We will never ever surrender to the woke mob.”
Gutierrez again suggested this effort led to Thursday’s news “The entertainment giant now scrapping plans to build a $1 billion office complex in Florida and relocate 2,000 jobs from California. In a letter to employees, a Disney executive writing “this was not an easy decision to make, but I believe it is the right one," citing "changing business conditions.”
While Gutierrez omitted the “new leadership” part of the quote, he did quote DeSantis’s press office, “given the company's financial straits, falling market cap and declining stock price, it is unsurprising that they would restructure their business operations and cancel unsuccessful ventures.”
However, the above information about Iger’s views of Chapek’s plans was also omitted when such information could have given credence to DeSantis’s response.
As for Disney-affiliated ABC and Good Morning America, they lumped the news into a larger preview of DeSantis as he prepares to launch his presidential campaign with brief summations of D’Amaro and DeSantis’s press team's responses.
CBS Mornings was sponsored by Progressive and Today was sponsored by Subaru.
Here are transcripts for the May 19 shows:
CBS Mornings
5/19/2023
7:12 AM ET
TONY DOKOUPIL: The Walt Disney company is in the middle of a long-running dispute with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and is now scrapping plans for a new billion-dollar office complex in the state.
The head of Disney Parks told colleagues just yesterday, quote, “given the considerable changes that have occurred since the announcement of this project including new leadership and changing business conditions, we have decided not to move forward with construction of the campus."
Some employees had already moved down to the state. Disney, of course, in the bigger picture is suing DeSantis over Florida's move to take control of a district around Disney that the company controlled for a half century and the company’s claiming that this is all retaliation for speaking out against the governor's so-called "Don't Say Gay" law which limits classroom conversation about sexual orientation and gender identity.
Just last week CEO Bob Iger questioned Florida's commitment to Disney saying, quote, “does the state want us to invest more, employ more people, and pay more taxes or not?”
GAYLE KING: Okay. Drop the microphone—
DOKOUPIL: I know.
KING: --Bob Iger. He seems to be saying you want to play hardball, Governor DeSantis, let's go.
DOKOUPIL: It's also a big test about what voters are going to want around the country.
KING: Exactly.
DOKOUPIL: Do they want corporations like Disney taking a stand on certain political issues or not? And for Ron DeSantis, it's a test of the very same question. He's staking a good part of his political future on the answer being yes.
KING: And Disney brings a lot of money, though, into that state.
NATE BURLESON: No doubt. No doubt. Two sides to the coin, right?
KING: Please let’s-- yes, don’t underestimate that.
***
NBC Today
5/19/2023
7:30 AM ET
SHEINELLE JONES: The entertainment giant just announced it's pulling the plug on plans for a new billion-dollar complex in Florida, which it says will cost the state thousands of jobs.
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: NBC national correspondent Gabe Gutierrez is here with the details on this. Gabe, good morning to you.
GABE GUTIERREZ: Savannah, good morning. The Disney drama has been escalating for more than a year now, and it appears CEO Bob Iger was not bluffing about the financial consequences and this all comes amid new reporting that Governor DeSantis plans to enter the presidential race very soon.
This morning NBC News has learned Florida governor Ron DeSantis is preparing to formally announce he's running for president next week, that’s according to two sources close to his political operation. DeSantis, who’s already been making trips to critical early voting states like Iowa and New Hampshire, is expected to quickly become a top challenger for the GOP frontrunner, former President Trump, and it all comes as DeSantis is facing new questions over his escalating feud with Disney.
RON DESANTIS: We will fight the woke in the legislature. We will fight the woke in corporate America. We will never ever surrender to the woke mob.
GUTIERREZ: The entertainment giant now scrapping plans to build a $1 billion office complex in Florida and relocate 2,000 jobs from California. In a letter to employees, a Disney executive writing “this was not an easy decision to make, but I believe it is the right one," citing "changing business conditions.” DeSantis's press secretary firing back, “given the company's financial straits, falling market cap and declining stock price, it is unsurprising that they would restructure their business operations and cancel unsuccessful ventures.”
They are the latest grenades in the war of words between DeSantis and Disney, which is also suing Florida for stripping its special self-governing status after the company opposed the state's Parental Rights in Education Act that critics call the Don't Say Gay law.
Disney CEO Bob Iger responding last week before the office complex decision was announced.
BOB IGER: Does the state want us to invest more, employ more people, and pay more taxes or not?
