The crisis-stricken Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), the body that organizes the Golden Globes, has ousted Philip Berk, its former president, who has sparked outrage, by sharing an anti-Black Lives Matter article movement described as a ‘racist hate’ group ”.
In a brief statement, the HFPA said: “Phil Berk is effective immediately, no longer a member of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.” The move by the HFPA follows outspoken criticism from NBC, the TV network that broadcasts and pays for the Golden Globes, which has called for Berk’s suspension. “NBC strongly condemns Phil Berk’s actions … [and] swift action on this front is an essential element for NBC to continue with the HFPA and the Golden Globes. ”
The removal of Berk follows the controversy over his email, reported by the LA Times, in which he forwards an article from a website from the right. A number of HFPA members reacted angrily to Berk’s email, with one writing: ‘The bad rhetoric in this cover floor is simply unacceptable’, and another one calling Berk ‘a thunderous disgrace’.
However, the HFPA has been hit by further problems after it was reported that Dr Shaun Harper, the recently appointed adviser on diversity and inclusion, had resigned. Harper, the executive director of USC’s Race and Equity Center, has been appointed by the HFPA as a consultant following criticism of the lack of diversity among the organization. He reportedly resigned after a meeting with representatives of the Time’s campaign group, including director-producer Ava DuVernay and producer Shonda Rhimes.
The Hollywood Reporter quoted Harper’s resignation letter, which read: ‘I no longer trust in our ability to bring about the transformational change that the industry and the people in it, whom I deeply respect, are putting together from you.’
Another of the HFPA’s recently appointed consultants, crisis management firm Smith & Company, led by celebrated ‘crisis guru’ Judy Smith, has reportedly also deviated from his advisory role.
The crisis that engulfed the HFPA began shortly before the Golden Globes Awards in January, when an LA Times report accused the organization of a lack of diversity in its membership, as well as ‘ethical decay’ in the way on which he did business.