Meryl Streep’s Golden Globes speech was felt both emotionally and tangibly for at least one press freedom group.
Poynter first reported Monday that the Committee to Protect Journalists received a spike in donations Sunday night following the speech criticizing President-elect Donald Trump and supporting continued freedom of the press. The group got more than 700 donations totaling over $60,000, a rep told The Huffington Post, far more than the “handful” it typically sees on a Sunday evening.
“That was pretty exciting,” Courtney Radsch, advocacy director for CPJ, told Poynter. “I don’t think any of us were expecting such a ringing endorsement for our work and the right of journalists to report the news, which is our mission ... Most of them were small, individual donations coming from people who appear to have been inspired by her speech.”
Donations continue to roll in.
Streep gave the powerful address while accepting this year’s Cecil B. DeMille Award for “outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment.”
“Disrespect invites disrespect. Violence incites violence. When the powerful use their position to bully others, we all lose,” Streep said.
“This brings me to the press,” she continued. “We need the principled press to hold power to account, to call them on the carpet for every outrage. That’s why our founders enshrined the press and its freedoms in our constitution. So I only ask the famously well-heeled Hollywood Foreign Press and all of us in our community to join me in supporting the committee to protect journalists. Because we’re going to need them going forward. And they’ll need us to safeguard the truth.”
If you are interested in helping, donate to CPJ through its website.
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