"Not the Hollywood Foreign Press Association"

From the desk of Ian Williams
President of the Foreign Press Association.

The dissolution of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association allows us at the FPA final chance to say, “It ain’t us babe!” After years of clarifications that the New York-based Foreign Press Association has nothing to do with the scandal-tainted Golden Globes, we can now hang up the phone. The only thing we are sad about is that there will be no pay-off/pension for our members, which seems a major benefit of the corporate takeover of the HFPA. We will carry on as we have always done since 1918.
 
There is FPA folklore that the Hollywood branch was set up in emulation of our organization. We have watched the HFPA story unfold with studious and prophylactic interest. When an embattled chemical company came waving checkbooks in return for an unhealthy influence over our coverage, we refused. https://careygillam.com/articles/article/revealed-bayer-ag-discussed-plans-to-give-not-for-profit-funding-for-influence
 
Journalism can be an impoverishing career and so temptation always lurks. We wish the members of the Hollywood FPA a prosperous and peaceful after HFPA life, and trust they never have to regret the “privatization” of their venerable institution.
 
At the FPA, we will continue looking gift horses in the mouth and hoping they bite the hands that feed them, while we make every effort to pull our cart with its perennially squeaky wheels.
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