Fact check: Satirical post about Disney CEO and 'going woke' fools many

Bayliss Wagner, USA TODAY
·4 min read
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The claim: Disney CEO said company made "huge mistake" by "going woke"

A satire website that peddles hoaxes to "troll" conservatives has again led Facebook users to believe a made-up story about a hot-button issue.

According to an undated article from the website USA Taters, which describes its content as "fictional," the Walt Disney Corporation has come to regret its public opposition to Florida legislation known by critics as the "Don't Say Gay" law. The new law will penalize school districts that "encourage classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity in primary grade levels" when it goes into effect in July.

"After Devastating Losses, Disney CEO Admits Company Made ‘A Huge Mistake’ Going Woke," the article's headline reads. It was shared thousands of times on Facebook in several weeks.

Facebook page America - Love It or Leave It drew more than 500 shares on its post of the article, captioned, "They sure did. It gets worse by the week." Despite the page's description stating "nothing on this page is real," the post drew indignant comments from many users who took it as fact, criticizing Disney Chief Executive Officer Bob Chapek for supposedly attempting to walk back his position.

"He doesn't mean it, the only reason he's saying he made a mistake is because it's affecting his job," one wrote.

Another non-satirical page that shared the article corrected its post that had received a similar stream of angry comments.

"Update - it is satire!" the author added to the post, which was shared more than 2,600 times. "I apologize, I missed it!"

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USA TODAY reached out to several users who shared the claim for comment.

Bob Chapek, Disney's chief executive officer, at the Walt Disney Company’s Investor Day 2020.
Bob Chapek, Disney's chief executive officer, at the Walt Disney Company’s Investor Day 2020.

Article was fictional

There's no truth to the claim that a Disney CEO said going woke was a mistake.

Chapek hasn't made any public comments rescinding Disney's current commitment to help fight the bill in court, despite significant conservative backlash. That backlash includes a new Florida law that will strip decades-old privileges that had allowed the company to self-govern the area designated as part of Walt Disney World.

More: A smaller world for Disney? Florida lawmakers revoke special self-governing status

The article also contains other elements of humor and fiction that some readers missed.

At the top of the page, the article is attributed to a fictional author named "Flagg Eagleton-Patriot" and categorized as "Disney Fan Fiction." It also didn't refer to Disney's current CEO, instead calling the CEO "Joe Barron."

USA Taters and several Facebook pages that shared the article are subsidiaries of America's Last Line of Defense, a "network of satire, parody and tomfoolery" run by creator Christopher Blair, according to Blair.

USA Taters' "About Us" page states that the site's mission is to shame and humiliate people who believe his fact-free content.

"Nothing on this page is real," the description of America's Last Line of Defense reads. "It is a collection of the satirical whimsies of liberal trolls masquerading as conservatives. You have been warned."

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Nonetheless, Blair's various stories have been shared as fact and believed by many, spurring previous fact checks by USA TODAY.

"I welcome every fact-check," Blair wrote in an email to USA TODAY. "I understand exactly why they're necessary."

Our rating: Satire

Based on our research, we rate SATIRE the claim that the Disney CEO said the company made a "huge mistake" by "going woke." The source of this claim is USA Taters, which states in an "About Us" page that its content is entirely fictional. Disney's CEO has not made any comment resembling the claim.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: Article about Disney CEO regretting 'going woke' is satire