by Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Book Substack
UN GATE, Jan 28 – For weeks Inner City Press has asked the UN and its media people, including Stephane Dujarric and News and Media chief Ian Phillips, about evidence that UNRWA workers took part in the October 7 attacks. No answers at all - censorship.
Now after SG Antonio Guterres' belated and begrudging acknowledgment, the UN has assigned its OIOS to cover up, as it has done before, see here.
But consider that Guterres was just bragging to staff: "UN Broadcast Message Sent through The UN Intranet-iSeek Friday, 26 January 2024 | New York | Executive Office of the Secretary-General (EOSG) Secretary-General's letter to staff on UN financial situation Dear Colleagues... Member States have been very supportive of my proposals regarding the budget for 2024 and have made positive decisions on initiatives, such as increasing funding for core activities of UNRWA." Yeah.
Does the UN corrupt everyone that goes to work for it?
Given the inflated salaries it pays its officials, the UN can collect and try to buttress its credibility with for example name-brand journalists. But what freedoms do they give up, and how low do they go?
In 2023 the UN hired Ian Phillips, once the Associated Press' head of (get this) journalist safety. His LinkedIn profile, after moving to the UN, states that his "role includes advisory and policy work, with particular focus on press freedom."
So Inner City Press, having been roughed up by UN Security and then banned from entering or getting even its written questions asked, last week wrote to Ian Phillips at the UN - and through his LinkedIn profile:
Hello Mr. Phillips. I am asking you to look into this and ensure that the UN Media and Accreditation Unit fairly process, and rule on, my pending application for (re) accreditation. Two separate law firms have written the UN pro bono on my behalf, without answer."
No answer at all. Is the money too good? Does journalist safety and free press only count when it is not the UN doing the roughing up, and the censoring?
In the past few days, we've sent our daily press questions to Mr. Phillips as well, since he's the head of the UN's "News and Media Division." Questions about Gaza and the Secretary General's finances. And no answers at all.
So again: Does the UN corrupt everyone that goes to work for it? We will continue to report on this.
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