BURBANK, Calif., October 21, 2011 — The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) announced today it is modifying its annual disclosure of political contributions, reflecting the company’s ongoing commitment to maintain high corporate citizenship standards and transparency.
Although political contribution data is available and filed publicly with the Federal Election Commission and state and local election agencies in accordance with campaign finance laws, Disney is taking the additional step of posting the same information on its corporate website. The filing will be accessible to the company’s primary stakeholders, consumers, employees, shareholders, business partners and the communities in which it works, and will be reviewed annually by the Board of Directors’ Governance and Nominating Committee.
Disney’s political contributions are currently discussed in its 2010 Corporate Citizenship Report and can be found on the Company’s website at http://thewaltdisneycompany.com/citizenship/policies/governance.
That discussion aggregates the total political contributions of the Company, each of which is separately reported by the Company at the local, state and federal level and publicly accessible through those sources. The Company’s political contributions, starting with calendar year 2011 contributions, will be posted in early 2012 and are approved by the Company’s Senior Vice President of Government Relations. The data will include:
- An itemized list of our contributions each year to state and local political parties, candidates for state and local office, and organizations that promote or oppose such candidates or state and local ballot initiatives;
- An itemized list of contributions from the Company’s political action committee each year by linking directly to our Federal Election Commission reports;
- Identification of the portion of our payments to industry associations and similar organizations to whom we contribute $50,000 or more each year that is used for political expenditures, as defined by 26 U.S.C. Section 162(e)(1)(B), to the extent the organizations provide us that information.
About the Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company, together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, is a leading diversified international family entertainment and media enterprise with five business segments: media networks, parks and resorts, studio entertainment, consumer products and interactive media. Disney is a Dow 30 company and had annual revenues of more than $38 billion in its most recent fiscal year. Disney Corporate Citizenship focuses on three key principles: act and create in an ethical manner; champion the happiness and well-being of kids and families; and inspire those around us to make a lasting, positive change in the world. Being a good corporate citizen is a time-honored Disney tradition. We strive to support that goal through quality entertainment, strategic philanthropy, environmental conservation, respectful workplaces, and community engagement. For more information on Disney Corporate Citizenship, please visit: http://www.Disney.com/Citizenship2010.