by Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Book Substack
UN GATE, Feb 13 – While the United Nations under Antonio Guterres pontificates about press freedom with banning Inner City Press which asked about and reports on UN waste and corruption, on February 12 US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz spoke at the Munich Security Conference.
Inner City Press covered it.
Waltz bought and gave away a blue baseball cap emblazoned "Make the UN Great Again" - MUNGA. He said spoke of budget cuts.
But these have largely spared the top echelons of the UN, including Guterres who lives in a mansion on Sutton Place, while banning the Press.
Afterward the US Mission to the UN tweeted video from MSC on X, where Inner City Press replied reminding them of its February 2 email to the Mission, also submitted through the Mission's website, still unresponded to:
US Ambassador Waltz: I am writing to you as an American journalist who has reported on the UN, including UN corruption and waste of taxpayers' funds, since 2006. I am currently banned from entering the UN, by the UN Media Accreditation and Liaison Unit (MALU), its boss Melissa Fleming and ultimately SG Antonio Guterres.
On June 19, 2025 I reapplied to enter the UN, to cover the September 2025 UNGA high level week, as the UN permits hundreds of correspondents from Iran, China, Nicaragua and elsewhere to do.
Six months later on January 12, MALU sent me a one-line denial, with no reason. I have written to them asking for the basis for denial; they have not answered.
Earlier today I was unable to question this month's UK President of the UN Security Council because of the ban. I am writing to you a full month before you assume the UNSC Presidency to ensure that you and USUN ensure that MALU had granted me accreditation and entry by then.
It would be entirely unacceptable, as an American journalist who reports daily on the UN including with information from UN whistleblowers exposing waste, to be banned from your month atop the Counsil, including your first-day press conference.
For your information, in international affairs, I am allowed by the IMF to enter, and to ask questions by WebEx. Why not by the UN? And by USUN?
As an American journalist I am formally asking for you help, as US Ambassador to the UN, to resolve this and restore my access to the UN, as a resident correspondent. This should be accomplished by March 1, 2026, when you assume the UNSC Presidency, at the latest. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
MUNGA?
Watch this site.
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