Governor Andrew Cuomo has won an International Emmy for the televised coronavirus briefings earlier this year, which made waves in conservative and liberal outlets. What did they say?
Summary
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is set to receive an International Emmy award later this year for his televised briefings this year on the coronavirus pandemic.
- The International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences said Cuomo’s “masterful use of television to inform and calm people around the world” inspired his receipt of The Founders Award.
- The Founders Award is given to someone who “crosses cultural boundaries to touch our common humanity.”
- The announcement comes the same week Cuomo got into an argument during his briefing with a reporter regarding school closures in the state.
- NPR reported the governor earned recognition throughout the year for his presentations by including statistic and utilizing PowerPoint.
- Cuomo said the award is “flattering” and that he “accepts it on behalf of people of the state” of New York.
- The NY State GOP Chairman blasted the award, saying it was “proof positive that Hollywood lives in its own reality”, in reference to Cuomo’s controversial policy forcing nursing homes to readmit residents with coronavirus, a policy many belief contributed to an increased number of COVID deaths in the state.
- The Guardian noted that while Cuomo’s popularity skyrocketed at the beginning of the pandemic, it “faded” as the consequences of the nursing home policies became apparent. The Guardian also quoted Democratic consultant Max Berger who criticized Cuomo and the award, who said Cuomo isn’t a competent governor, “he just plays one on TV.”
- The New York Daily News gushed over the award, saying Governor Cuomo is sharing the credit with members of the Legislative Correspondents Association who “helped hone [his] presentation skills.
- An opinion column in the Washington Post detailed the double-edged sword of TV stardom for the nation’s most visible governors, referencing Cuomo’s argument about school closures earlier this week.
- Most of FoxNews.com’s coverage detailed outrage from across the political spectrum on Twitter, with quotes from Meghan McCain, MSNBC contributor Noah Rothman, and Daily Beast editor Sam Stein.
- The New York Post called the award an “ironic twist” as it came on the heels of his school-closure outburst.
- Reason.com and Legal Insurrection heaped scorn on the news, with references to their own coverage of what Legal Insurrection called Cuomo’s “pandemic missteps.” Reason said it is a “disgusting prioritization of style over substance.”
- As reported by The Daily Caller, Fox News Meteorologist Janice Dean, who lost family members in New York nursing homes, blasted the award on Twitter and rhetorically asked if the Emmy will include “an extra in memoriam section…remembering all the seniors who died thanks to his amazing leadership skills.”
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© Dallas Gerber, 2020
