Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) is an organization comprised of journalists who cover the United States film industry, but are affiliated with publications outside of North America. The group is perhaps best known for the Golden Globe Awards, of which it is the creator and on-going organizer. The group was founded in 1943 by a correspondent for the Daily Mail, a UK newspaper. The chief aim was, and is, the dispersing of news about Hollywood to countries outside North America. They vote and decide on Golden Globe nominees for each year.
According to The New York Times, the HFPA "functions like an exclusive club, admitting a maximum of five new members a year, though more often...accepting only one. Any single member may object to a new member, making it extremely difficult to join. The association does not represent internationally renowned publications like Le Monde or The Times of London—indeed, it has repeatedly rejected applications from a Le Monde correspondent, while accepting applications from freelance writers from Bangladesh and South Korea".
