The Walt Disney Company was (apparently) displeased with a couple of Los Angeles Times articles. And soon after the articles ran, Diz Co. in the "big foot" tradition that it has long practiced, blocked LA Times movie reviewers from attending press screenings of various company movies (Star Wars, Thor, etc.)
This corporate dickishness did not go down well with the creative community.
Critics’ organizations quickly decided to disqualify Disney’s films from year-end awards consideration until the blackout was reversed. Movie directors spoke up, saying they would "stand with" film journalists.
All the pushback resulted in concentrating executive minds at corporate headquarters in Burbank, and whattayaknow? The Walt Disney Company decided maybe it wasn't a real swift idea to blacklist newspaper film reviewers because its feelings got hurt, and dropped its L.A. Times ban.
I get that we live in a corporatist age. And that huge, overbearing conglomerates are in the high seats. But it's always nice when a company backs off its bully boy routine because human beings band together to let the company know it's over the line, and the company rethinks its behavior.
Sometimes, individuals own enough leverage to change things.
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