Despite pledges to reform itself, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association – the organisation of journalists who run the Golden Globes – isn’t doing enough according to some of the biggest content creators on the planet.
The HFPA has been scrambling for just over two months now when it was revealed that they had zero Black members. Subsequent stumbles in the press on the issues of diversity, inclusion and behind-the-scenes transparency have not helped.
Under pressure from Comcast-owned NBC, the HFPA aimed to turn things around following an inclusion and overhaul proposal the board put forth at the beginning of this week – one that 75 of the 86 members voted in favor of.
That proposal contained sweeping reforms, reforms seemingly good enough for broadcaster NBC but not enough for Netflix and Amazon and various advocacy groups, PR firms and major talent. In a letter Thursday to the HFPA’s Leadership Committee, Netflix’s Ted Sarandos says:
“We don’t believe these proposed new policies – particularly around the size and speed of membership growth – will tackle the HFPA’s systemic diversity and inclusion challenges, or the lack of clear standards for how your members should operate. So we’re stopping any activities with your organization until more meaningful changes are made.
We know that you have many well-intentioned members who want real change – and that all of us have more work to do to create an equitable and inclusive industry. But Netflix and many of the talent and creators we work with cannot ignore the HFPA’s collective failure to address these crucial issues with urgency and rigor.”
Netflix dominated this year’s Golden Globes nominations with 42 overall along with six wins – triple the wins from any other distributor at the event. The HFPA subsequently responded with HFPA president Ali Sar writing on Friday:
“We hear your concerns about the changes our association needs to make and want to assure you that we are working diligently on all of them. We would love to meet with you and your team so we can review the very specific actions that are already in the works. An open dialogue would help to ensure that we are addressing these concerns as quickly as possible.”
Amazon Studios chief Jennifer Salke has joined in on Netflix’s stance, saying: “We have not been working with the HFPA since these issues were first raised, and like the rest of the industry, we are awaiting a sincere and significant resolution before moving forward.”
Netflix has advocated that the HFPA adopted a definable set of awards-season rules and a clear and immediate code of ethics, adopting formal procedures of transparency and governance akin to what AMPAS does with the Oscars.
They also suggest the organisation’s aim to grow its membership by 50% over the next eighteen months is not enough, and to enact real change and inclusion it should expand to more than 300 members in a matter of months (just over triple its current membership).
One hundred global PR firms have said publicly they will continue to refrain from any HFPA sanctioned events, including press conferences until there is a firm commitment to a timeline for dealing with these issues.
Things took another turn today as actress Scarlett Johansson urged the film industry to step back from the group and says participating in the organization’s press conferences and award shows has: “ften meant facing sexist questions and remarks by certain HFPA members that bordered on sexual harassment. Unless there is necessary fundamental reform within the organization, I believe it is time that we take a step back from the HFPA.”
Source: Deadline, THR, Variety, The Guardian
