11-20-2020
New York’s governor, Andrew Cuomo, is set to receive an Emmy award, typically given to those in the television industry, for his use of the medium when responding to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, one of the organizations that awards Emmys, said Cuomo’s award, the Founder’s award, is “in recognition of his leadership during the Covid-19 pandemic and his masterful use of television to inform and calm people around the world”.
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Prior recipients of the award include Oprah Winfrey and the former US vice-president Al Gore.
Cuomo said on Friday that the recognition is “flattering” and that “it’s flattering for the people of [New York]”. He joked that reporters at the press conference “helped hone my presentation skills and acting skills”.
In the early months of the pandemic, when New York City was the center of the global pandemic, Cuomo’s popularity skyrocketed as people from around the country tuned into his blunt-talking daily televised press briefings. His approval ratings rose to 77% – a record in his nearly 10 years as governor – and he even developed a global following, especially by comparison to the chaotic briefings given by Donald Trump.
“He represents the kind of leadership we should have in the presidency and don’t,” Jackie Speier, a congresswoman from California, told the New York Times in March.
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