And you thought 2020 couldn’t be any more surprising.
In the latest twist to a tumultuous year, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo will be presented an Emmy for his daily televised press briefings during the coronavirus pandemic, the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences announced Friday.
The academy’s website noted Cuomo’s leadership and “his masterful use of television to inform and calm people around the world” as keys to winning the International Emmy Founders Award.
“The governor’s 111 daily briefings worked so well because he effectively created television shows, with characters, plot lines, and stories of success and failure,” the president and CEO of the International Academy, Bruce Paisner, said in the statement.
The Founders Award is presented to an individual or organization who “crosses cultural boundaries to touch our common humanity.” Prior recipients include Vice President Al Gore, Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg.
The announcement may come as a surprise, but the criticism surprises no one.
Fox News senior meteorologist Janice Dean, whose husband’s parents died while in New York assisted living facilities, tweeted:
“I wonder if the @TheEmmys will add an extra in memoriam section after they give @NYGovCuomo his award remembering all the seniors who died thanks to his amazing leadership skills.”
Dean added, “I guess if @TheEmmys award goes to an actor pretending to be a governor, then @NYGovCuomo deserves it.”
The award will be presented Sunday during a live show streaming at 11 a.m. ET on the academy’s website (iemmys.tv).
On March 2, 2020, Cuomo conducted his first coronavirus media briefing from Manhattan to inform and educate New Yorkers and the public at large about the outbreak. The last “daily” briefing was held on June 19, 2020. The daily communications drew a total of approximately 59 million viewers.
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