ADF urges Disney to evaluate discrimination based on political, religious beliefs

Religious liberty law firm Alliance Defending Freedom will meet with the Walt Disney Company in early January to question its collusion with a now-defunct advertising giant known to censor news outlets and personalities.

The Global Alliance for Responsible Media likely violated federal antitrust laws by censoring and boycotting the speech of conservative news outlets and personalities, according to the House Judiciary Committee. Disney became a member of GARM sometime after its founding in 2019 and before its dissolution in 2024.

“No major company should be throwing their ad dollars behind a program of censorship like that,” ADF Senior Counsel Jeremy Tedesco told The Daily Signal. “Disney needs to continue to hear a drumbeat of objections to be continually held accountable for these kinds of actions until we really see a change in behavior, one that’s lasting.”

Alliance Defending Freedom partnered with Bowyer Research and Patron Partners, who represent Disney shareholders, to file a shareholder resolution against Disney.

Disney is a global brand with immense influence and ad-buying power. It should be advertising in ways that support its competitive interests and build its reputation for serving its diverse customers.

But recent reports have shown that it colluded with the world’s largest advertising buyers, agencies, industry associations, and social media platforms through the Global Alliance for Responsible Media to demonetize platforms, podcasts, news outlets, and others for expressing disfavored political and religious viewpoints.

Disney agreed to an investor meeting in January, so ADF will withdraw the resolution.

“We’re taking this issue straight to the board, into the leadership of Disney, and saying, ‘Why were you a member of GARM’?” Tedesco said. “‘What are you doing to prevent moving forward using Disney’s reputation in advertising prowess?’”

GARM, an initiative of the World Federation of Advertisers, included every major advertising agency holding company in its ranks.

GARM has a history of promoting “hyper-partisan and censorial groups like the Global Information Index and NewsGuard,” according to the resolution. GARM threatened Spotify because Joe Rogan promoted dissenting views on the COVID-19 pandemic. The alliance also boycotted X when Elon Musk loosened censorship restrictions.

GARM disbanded shortly after public pressure and a lawsuit from X in 2024.

“Disney needs to rebuild trust by providing transparency around these policies and practices. This will assure customers, shareholders, and others that it is protecting, not targeting, free speech and religious freedom,” the resolution says.

Disney is no stranger to backlash over its woke practices. An upcoming Disney show titled “Win or Lose” faced parental backlash for plans to feature a character who identified as transgender. In deference to parents, Disney removed the character’s transgender-themed storyline from the series.

The shareholders represented by ADF, Bowyer Research, and Patron Partners are calling Disney’s Board of Directors to conduct an evaluation and issue a report within the next year evaluating how it oversees risks related to discrimination against ad buyers and sellers based on their religious or political persuasions.

Disney did not respond to The Daily Signal’s request for comment.

ADF has filed around 10 shareholder resolutions against household-name companies who were part of GARM. The pro-free speech law firm has filed more than 50 shareholder resolutions dealing with other issues, including diversity, equity, and inclusion, or DEI, in the workplace, de-platforming, de-banking, and more.

“We’re very much engaged with corporations on behalf of shareholders, to try to pull them back from all the politics that has entered the business, and to get them to at least get to a place where, if they’re going to do something that gives back to society more than just being great businesses that create great products, then they should be giving back to a culture that respects free speech and religious freedom,” Tedesco explained.