Disney to change content warnings shown before "problematic" classics
Disney will tone down the language of the content warnings on its streaming service that accompany classic movies with racial stereotypes.
The current disclaimers played before older titles like Dumbo and Peter Pan said the film “includes negative depictions and/or mistreatment of peoples or cultures” adding, “these stereotypes were wrong then and are wrong now.”
The new disclaimers will state: “This program is presented as originally created and may contain stereotypes or negative depictions,” and will not appear as introductory text that plays before the beginning of a film.
The disclaimers will also only appear in the details section of certain films, where viewers will have to navigate to find it, decreasing their visibility.
Disney will also replace its “Diversity & Inclusion” performance factor used to evaluate executive pay with a new “Talent Strategy”, according to Sonia Coleman, Disney’s senior executive vice president and chief human resources officer.
Other rollbacks of its diversity, equity and inclusion measures include the closure of its Reimagine Tomorrow initiative, a website that highlighted stories and talent from underrepresented communities.
Disney first added content warnings to older movies like Dumbo and Peter Pan in November 2019, due to racist depictions included in some of the films created by the studio in the 40s and 50s.
Disney has become the latest major organisation to roll back its diversity measures following Donald Trump’s re-election as US President.
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