Summary
The battle between the Walt Disney Company and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has eclipsed politics and is now playing out in the courts. In a lawsuit, Disney accuses DeSantis and his allies overseeing the company's special taxing district of violating the company's constitutional rights. Geoff Bennett discussed the case with Arian Campo-Flores, who is covering the story for The Wall Street Journal.For a transcript of the story, click here.
News wrap alternative : Check out recent segments from the NewsHour, and choose the story you’re most interested in watching! You can make a Google doc copy of discussion questions that work for any of the stories here.
Five Facts
- Who is Ron DeSantis?
- Where is the Walt Disney Company based?
- When did DeSantis begin challenging Disney's land rights within the state?
- Why is Disney now suing DeSantis in court?
- How did DeSantis and other Republican officials in Florida seem to single out Disney?
Focus Questions
What do you think are the consequences of government actors targeting individual businesses based on political disputes? Can you think of any other examples, either on the state or federal level?
News media analysis: Why do you think PBS NewsHour interviewed a journalist from another publication for this story instead of investigating with their own journalists?
Alternative : See, Think, Wonder : What did you notice? What did the story make you think? What story would you want to find out more about? Where would you go to learn more?
For More
t students can do: Read this article to better understand Disney's lawsuit against DeSantis and the state of Florida. Then as a class, discuss — Should companies have stronger First Amendment protections to guard against political targeting? If so, what would those protections be? What might be some negative consequences of granting companies stronger free speech protections?
Student Video of the Day (April 17, 2023)
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