By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, May 26 -- It seems that at the UN the publication of articles critical of powerful officials, countries or media organization can be construed as "harassment" and used as the basis to seek to expel the offending journalist.
This takes place in the context of an Inner City Press investigative scoop, that US official Jeffrey Feltman will come work at the UN being stolen without credit by Reuters (unlike Foreign Policy's The Cable which did give credit), and a stealth complaint of harassment filed by the bylined Reuters correspondent Louis Charbonneau, using his position as Vice President of the UN Correspondents Association.
After being informed in writing Friday afternoon that five UNCA Executive Committee members had referred "charges of harassment" against Inner City Press seeking to form a "board of examination" to "expel or impeach" Inner City Press, UNCA's President Giampaulo Pioli has three times refused to disclose who complained, what definition of harassment will be used, and what beyond written articles and the single verbal word "disgust" Inner City Press is charged with.
Already some other reporters, readers and also diplomats have expressed surprise that a purported correspondents' association would try to censor a member journalist or define critical articles as harassment.
By this definition, Inner City Press "harasses" Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and for example his head of Peacekeeping Herve Ladsous every day: it's called investigative journalism.
One UN Correspondent, who will for now be nameless to avoid retaliation or UNCA charges against him, said
'No excuse to steal an exclusive... I think UNCA should have a 'law that "expulsion" is "outlawed". There is not "expulsion" in journalism, we are not Stalin's CPSU...I find great help in reading your blog when I'm not at the UN. Especially I think our job is not "policing" other journalists but watching the UN, especially when they are not doing their job. Something that I think you are doing better than anybody else in all the press corps. I just reported two days ago your questions, crediting that you / innercitypress.com is a must read for all the UN permanent missions.'
This correspondent, like others, credits Inner City Press when using its exclusives. But Reuters' Lou Charbonneau says he has a POLICY of not crediting Inner City Press. It is unclear how this could be consistent with a Reuters-wide policy.
But despite five days of requests, in the United States and then its headquarters in London, Reuters has yet to provide its policy on crediting -- or on its reporters using their positions in correspondents' associations to seek to have competitors dis-accredited.
Inner City Press wrote to UNCA President Pioli:
This is a formal request to be informed who are the five people requesting to urgently "examine" me. I am also asking to to be informed immediately of the definition you are using of "harassment" and of any and all alleged acts of "harassment" I am charged with, particularly since the last UNCA meeting on this topic in April, other than material that I have written and published as is my right under freedom of speech and freedom of the press.
After Pioli reiterated by voice mail his position that the empaneling of a "board of examination" -- which is supposed to be impartial -- will proceed the next day the UN is open, May 29, Inner City Press asked again:
Hi, at least for now I'm just requesting (and believe I have a right to) the names of those who have referred these charges of harassment against me... For your information, the complaint Lou filed with MALU and Dujarric I found outrageous; it was baseless, should not have been filed, and I should have been informed. While he says I am somehow making it hard for him and unnamed others to do their work, he was in essence trying to STOP me from doing my work, as well in my view stealing my work without credit. Please provide the requested information, thanks.
Pioli this time did reply in writing, but without providing any of the information or charges. And so a third request:
Hi. I am asking that you send me the information -- names of accusers, definitions and description of charges -- in writing by email, in part because Lou's complaint to MALU and Dujarric, cc-ed to you, appears entirely based on something I said to him. You should understand I don't want to subject myself to any more such charges, however spurious. So I ask again: send it to me in writing the names of accusers, definitions and description of charges. Past deadline.
Still, even after two subsequent phone calls by Inner City Press to Pioli's cell phone and land line, the identities of those UNCA Executive Committee filing changes to expel Inner City Press have not been disclosed. Here's the online list of Executive Committee members. Watch this site.
