The Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. is preparing for its annual Golden Globe this Sunday and responding to criticism for not cultivating an inclusive and diverse membership. The group currently has no black journalists among its 87 members. In fact, the organization has not had a black member since at least 2002, when former HFPA chairman and chairman Meher Tatna joined.
In an interview for VarietyIn a conversation with the directors of the four big awards – Oscar, Globos, SAG and BAFTA – Tatna directed the criticisms. “As a black person, it is important to me,” says Tatna. “There are nuances, such as the organization of immigrants, who write for our country, who seek [for international Black journalists] it hasn’t been easy, but that doesn’t mean we’re going to give up. We will continue to try and be part of the solution. “
When asked about the last black member of the HFPA, she could not remember when there was a black member or who he was, saying: “It was before my time, but I do not remember which country he came from”. An HFPA spokesman said the last black member was from Belize, but did not provide the membership dates.
An HFPA spokesman pointed out that all journalists from all ethnic and cultural backgrounds in Southern California who write for the international media can apply, and also noted that the majority of the group’s members are female, with 35% of their members. members from non-European countries including Egypt, North Africa, Japan, India, Bangladesh, Philippines, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico and Chile. HFPA is also looking into the possibility of changing its rules to expand its pool of candidates.
However, membership criteria and qualifications make it difficult to find diverse members. On the Golden Globe website, instructions for registering new members are partially:
Applicants must work as Southern California journalists covering the entertainment industry for a legitimate foreign publication and must be sponsored by two current HFPA members. Applicants must submit 24 sample clippings of their work from the past 3 years. They must also have been listed in the MPAA journalist directory in the past two years.
For a foreign journalist residing in Los Angeles, building relationships with this small group, which is largely unknown to the public, is difficult due to its strict and exclusive membership policies. More transparency would help to alleviate the public perception that the group does not seek to be inclusive.
On Friday afternoon, activist organization Time’s Up tweeted a photo with the hashtag #TimesUpGlobes. Presenter Sterling K. Brown also posted the photo Time’s Up, saying: “The fact that any governing body at a current Hollywood awards has this lack of electoral representation illustrates a level of irresponsibility that should not be ignored.
A spokesman for Time’s Up responded to Variety for comments stating: “We have referred you to HFPA.”
In recent years, the HFPA has said it has had no black candidates. In May 2013, The Wrap reported that Samantha Ofole-Prince, “a highly experienced black British journalist in Los Angeles who writes primarily for the African, Caribbean and Black British press”, as described by an anonymous member of HFPA, had her affiliation denied, with a source saying the organization said “she was not qualified based on any evidence”.
At the time, an HFPA spokesman declared: “Any allegations about the organization and complaints about any racial issue are outrageous.”
On Thursday, HFPA issued a statement saying: “We are fully committed to ensuring that our association reflects the communities around the world who love cinema, TV and the artists who inspire and educate them. We understand that we need to bring in black members, as well as members from other underrepresented backgrounds, and we will work immediately to implement an action plan to achieve these goals as soon as possible. “
HFPA has not made current President Ali Sar available for comment.
The Golden Globe will air on Sunday, February 28, at 8 pm EST.