The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the organization that produces The Golden Globes Award, has released a statement on the topics of diversity and transparency.
“We at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association are committed to transformational change. Effective immediately, the Board—in consultation with outside advisors—will oversee reforms and be accountable for that change. Among the immediate action items being implemented, we are:
- Hiring an independent expert in organizational diversity, equity, and inclusion to advise and guide us. Among other important tasks, this expert will audit our bylaws and membership requirements to help us guard against any exclusionary practices and achieve a more diverse membership. We are also mandating annual anti-racism and unconscious bias education and sexual harassment training for every member of the HFPA.
- Engaging in outreach with a specific focus on adding Black and other underrepresented professionals to our organization.
- Hiring a third-party, independent law firm to review the HFPA policies to ensure we are aligned with and exceed industry best practices in other critical areas.
- Working with that law firm to ensure a robust process by which any individual (members, partners, vendors, and artists) can confidentially report any potential violation of our ethical standards or code of conduct with the confidence that it will be fully and fairly investigated and will have clear and serious consequences for those in violation.
- Improving our efforts to create transparency into our operations, voting, processes, eligibility, and membership.
- Increasing our support of internship, mentorship, and scholarship programs for Black and other underrepresented students interested in international journalism.
“Our mission as a diverse group of journalists from more than 40 different countries has always been about covering entertainment and film, advancing the critical work of entertainment-related charities, and elevating future film and television professionals from all walks of life unified by their shared passion and love for film and television.
“But we must and will do more. These are the initial steps we will take over the next 60 days and we will carry out further action based on the recommendations that come from these initial reviews and assessments. We are committed to achieving these objectives in order to increase transparency in our organization and build a more inclusive community.”