By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
June 28 -- The
five Big Media
representatives
on the UN
Correspondents
Association
Executive
Committee who
started a
"Board of
Examination"
probe of Inner
City Press a
month ago
claimed that
was not
to oust the
Press from the
UN.
But
on June 20 the
executive
editor of one
of the Five,
Voice of
America, filed
a complaint
with the UN
seeking just
that: a review
of the status
of Inner City
Press'
accreditation
to the UN,
based entirely
on things the
Press has
written. Click
here for full
text of VOA
complaint to
the UN.
Eight
days later,
the UNCA
Executive
Committee
& Board of
Examination
have received
a legal letter
notifying them
of violations
of free
speech, free
press and due
process: click
here to view.
Precipitating
this letter
was word that
this Board of
Examination
would issue
its report,
without even
having
informed Inner
City Press of
the charges
against it, on
Friday, June
29, unless
Inner City
Press agreed
to blanket
apologies and
even a
censorship
commitment not
to ever write
about other
media
organizations.
On
June 21 Inner
City Press
told the four
remaining
members of the
Board of
Examination
that this VOA
complaint and
challenge to
its livelihood
made it nearly
impossible to
continue
discussions
with UN
Correspondents
Association
president
Giampaolo
Pioli about
how to
"clarify" the
fact that he
rented his
apartment to
Palitha
Kohona, then a
UN official,
now Sri Lankan
Ambassador to
the UN.
Pioli
in September
2011 granted
Kohona's
request to
screen inside
the UN a Sri
Lankan
government
propaganda
film called
"Lies Agreed
To," which
purports to
rebut a UK
Channel 4
documentary
that was NOT
screened
inside the UN.
These
are facts; the
UNCA Executive
Committee on
June 14 issued
a letter "for
UNCA members
only" which is
now their
response to
the media and
which claims
Inner City
Press never
objected to
the "Lies
Agreed To"
screening.
That
is
false.
Inner City
Press has
shown the
Executive
Committee and
now the Board
of Examination
that "before
the screening,
Inner City
Press wrote to
Pioli,
Charbonneau,
Voice of
America's
Margaret
Besheer and
others about
'the UNCA
screening of
the Sri Lankan
government's
rebuttal to
Channel 4's
"Killing
Fields": -- I
don't remember
any email
asking if that
screening
should happen
in the UN
auditorium,
given that the
underlying
Channel 4 film
not not shown
in the UN.'"
And
so here is the
UNCA Board of
Examination's
June 25
inquiry, and
Inner City
Press'
response:
Dear
Matthew,
A few days
ago, as chair
of the Board
of Examination
of the UN
Correspondents
Association's
Executive
Committee I
asked if you
had any
submission's
for the panel.
There was no
response.
June
21
you responded
to a verbal
invitation
from other
board members
and you met
with the
remaining four
of us.
At
the
end of the 2.5
hour session
you said you
would give us
a proposal on
ending the
confrontation
between the
Executive
Committee and
you. The board
members left
with the
understanding
there would be
a cooling off
period marked
with an
absence of
charges and
counter
charges by
both sides.
That
apparently was
not the case.
Are you going
to submit
anything more
to us? Sincerely,
William
M.
Reilly, Chair, Board of
Examination,
UNCA
cc:
board
members
Inner
City
Press
immediately
responded and
asked
questions that
have yet to be
answered:
I
am surprised
by this
message.
First, on June
21 you said
that given the
Voice of
America /
Margaret
Besheer
written
request to the
UN that it
review my
accreditation,
you understood
that
addressing
that threat to
my livelihood,
which I
ascribe to the
UNCA Executive
Committee and
this process
that you
continue to
chair, came
first.
What
can
you tell me
has been done
in that
regard?
I
was told on
Thursday to
draft (or even
just "think")
about possible
clarifications,
and that I
have done. I
was told it
was
understandable
I would just
not submit
such drafts in
writing -- as
I told you, a
reporter was
misled by the
UNCA Executive
Committee,
based on a
prior draft
submission I
made, that I
had signed an
apology.
You
say
that before
June 21 you
asked if I
"had any
submission's
for the panel.
There was no
response."
When
and
how are you
saying your
request was
made? While
the membership
in the Board
of Examination
has repeatedly
shifted, I
have made a
number of
submissions,
of questions
that I contend
must be
examined, and
of my right to
be informed of
the charges
and witnesses
against me,
before the 10
day period can
begin.
What
are
the charges?
Who are the
witnesses? And
who will rule
on the
conflicts of
interest and
disqualifying
pre-judgments
that I have
identified?
I
am covering
the current
Security
Council debate
on the
Protection of
Civilians, at
which among
others Sri
Lanka (which I
cover) is
about to
speak... I
request your
responses in
writing; I
made a similar
request to the
UNCA Executive
Committee, to
which they
have not
responded at
all. I
ask that you
respond in
writing to the
points above.
Thank you in
advance.
Matthew
Russell
Lee, Inner
City Press
