Meryl Streep’s Golden Globes Speech Sparks Donations Surge for Press Freedom Group

Committee to Protect Journalists raises 140 times its typical amount of donations for a Sunday night, and the money is still coming in

| January 9, 2017 @ 3:24 PM Last Updated: January 9, 2017 @ 3:32 PM
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NBC

Meryl Streep had the most memorable — and consequential — speech of the night at Sunday’s Golden Globe Awards show.

The Oscar winner received the Cecil B. DeMille career achievement award, but rather than recite tales from her illustrious career, Streep took aim at President-elect Donald Trump.

She vociferously defended the role of a watchdog media, naming the Committee to Protect Journalists outright as an organization she supports and urges others to also back.

Also Read: MMA Fighters Steamed Meryl Streep Said Their Sport Isn't Art

The mention of the journalism advocacy group in Streep’s speech sparked a surge of donations to the organization. It also came as a complete surprise to CPJ leaders.

Streep called out an incident in which Trump appeared to mock a disabled reporter, saying it broke her heart and “when the powerful use their position to bully others, we all lose.” And toward the end of her speech, she issued a call to action to defend members of the media under a president who appears to have little respect for the institution.

Also Read: Hollywood Heaps Praise on Meryl Streep's Anti-Trump Speech: 'True Inspiration'

“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 gonna need them going forward, and they’ll need us to help them safeguard the truth,” Streep said.

Streep’s clarion call went out to the Globes’ estimated 20 million viewers, and hundreds responded with immediate action.

Courtney Radsch, the CPJ’s advocacy director, told TIME the organization received 700 donations on Sunday night alone, compared with the usual five. That’s a 140 percent jump.

Also Read: At Golden Globes Parties, Meryl Streep's Anti-Trump Speech Fuels Debate

The organization confirmed to TheWrap that it has received 1,175 donations since Streep’s speech, totaling a little more than $90,000.

“It’s really an exciting opportunity to talk to a whole new audience,” Radsch told TheWrap. “People who may have never heard of the Committee to Protect Journalists.”

And she’s hoping the organization can ride the current momentum.

Also Read: Donald Trump Not Surprised 'Liberal Movie People' Like Meryl Streep Bashed Him at Golden Globes

“Our hope is to turn this into more sustained engagement,” she said. “There was such an outpouring of support.”

Having the support of one of Hollywood’s icons certainly helps.

Golden Globes: 11 Best and Worst Moments, From Meryl Streep to 'Hidden Fences' (Photos)

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  • Ryan Gosling First Man Getty Images
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  • Golden Globes carrie fisher and debbie reynolds HBO
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