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Steps include hiring a chief diversity officer,
emphasizing recruitment of Black journalists, and widening the
pool of potential applicants for the group of foreign
entertainment journalists.
The organization also voted to add at least 20 new members to
the current 87 this year and to expand its roster by 50% over
the next 18 months.
The board of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA)
proposed the changes earlier this week and its membership
approved them on Thursday.
"Today's overwhelming vote to reform the association reaffirms
our commitment to change," HFPA President Ali Sar said in a
statement.
The moves follow an investigation published in February by the
Los Angeles Times that noted there were no Black people
currently in the HFPA.
The newspaper also raised long-standing ethical questions over
the close relationships between the HFPA and movie studios that
may influence the choice of Golden Globe nominees and winners.
The controversy overshadowed the Golden Globes ceremony in
February, one of the major Hollywood award shows each year
leading up to the Oscars.
The new rules require that HFPA members stop accepting
promotional items from film and TV studios and that the group
post a public list of members with links to their work.
"We understand that the hard work starts now," Sar said. "We
remain dedicated to becoming a better organization and an
example of diversity, transparency and accountability in the
industry."
(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
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