Twitter has popped a fuse after learning that New York Governor Andrew Cuomo will receive an Emmy for his televised coronavirus briefings, pointing to his state’s high death toll and Cuomo’s spotty record on transparency.
The Democrat was selected for the honor, usually reserved for individuals in the television industry, “in recognition of his leadership during the Covid19 pandemic & his masterful use of TV to inform & calm people around the world,” the International Emmy Awards said in a tweet.
The New York governor said it was “flattering” to be chosen as an Emmy winner, and said he would accept the award on behalf of all New Yorkers. The award will be presented to Cuomo next week.
But not everyone shared in his delight. Social media users asked aloud whether the announcement was a joke, with several comments saying that they thought the tweet was from the satirical news site the Babylon Bee.
Cuomo has been one of the most controversial public figures during the coronavirus crisis, garnering both praise and condemnation for his response to the pandemic. Many people pointed to the fact that among US states, New York has the second-highest Covid-19 death rate per 100,000 people, arguing that it was hard to take accolades praising his “leadership” seriously.
The governor’s administration advisory to place Covid-positive patients in nursing homes was used by numerous observers to underscore the absurdity of the Emmy announcement. Cuomo has even been accused of lying about the decision, which has been blamed for causing numerous deaths among the elderly. In fact, the Associated Press reported that nursing home deaths have been “cloaked in secrecy” under Cuomo’s award-winning leadership. Amid the mounting criticism, Cuomo later issued an order requiring hospitals not to discharge patients to nursing homes without getting a Covid-negative test first.
“Killing thousands of seniors earns him a ‘leadership award’ imagine if others followed in his footsteps or ‘leadership,’”opined one outraged Twitter user.
Others made the case that there were plenty of examples of when Cuomo was less than “soothing” or “informative” during his briefings on the health crisis.
Earlier this week, he lashed out at reporters who pressed him about New York City’s public school system closing due to coronavirus, telling members of the media: “I don’t really care what you think.”
During another briefing, he mocked a “confused” journalist for expressing frustration over confusing lockdown rules, telling him that everyone else understands the regulations.
Conservative journalist and founder of Project Veritas James O’Keefe commented that the Emmys, like other television and media award ceremonies, have become “parody scarlet letters of shame and disrepute, rewarding underachievement which kowtows to the established order.”
Still, several people said that the Emmy was well-deserved. One Twitter user accused the governor’s detractors of being “jealous,” while another observer said Cuomo has been “America’s rock” during the pandemic.
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