Board members revealed the 'reform milestones' it intends to hit this year.
"Regardless of the next air date of the Golden Globes, implementing transformational changes as quickly -- and as thoughtfully -- as possible remains the top priority for our organization," the Hollywood Foreign Press Association said in a statement on Monday following news that NBC has canceled plans to air the 2022 Golden Globes.
Ahead of February's Golden Globe Awards, an investigation revealed that the HFPA included no Black members. On Monday, NBCUniversal announced that amid the ongoing controversy, the telecast would not be airing on its channel next year. ("Change of this magnitude takes time and work, and we feel strongly that the HFPA needs time to do it right.")
The same day, the HFPA's board members issued their own statement. "We invite our partners in the industry to the table to work with us on the systemic reform that is long overdue, both in our organization as well as within the industry at large," the statement reads.
In it, the HFPA laid out a timeline of "reform milestones" that the board states "demonstrates our commitment to achieving these goals with extreme urgency."
According to the timeline, HFPA members met last week to "consider and overwhelmingly vote to approve" a plan for transformational change that would see the organization admit 20 new members by August 2021 and grant each power to vote from the start. (Membership will increase by 50 percent within 18 months, the timeline promises.)
The statement states the HFPA is currently consulting with publicists and studios on a new code of conduct that will be revealed within the week and creating a hotline to respond to violations. An Accountability/Oversight Board will also be created with outside or non-board members.
Forthcoming plans include mandatory diversity and inclusion and sexual harassment training for members and new policies on "Gifts, Travel, Conflicts of Interest and Press Conferences." The new rules are intended to be in place by mid-July, with a new board elected and CEO/CFO instated in August.
Only time will tell whether the HFPA can salvage its annual ceremony, with NBCUniversal adding in its statement, "Assuming the organization executes on its plan, we are hopeful we will be in a position to air the show in January 2023."
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