At
UN,
Landlord Pioli
Threatens to
Sue ICP for
Money, Bogus
Report
Finalized as
Reuters Urged
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
July 3 -- Six
days ago, the
UN
Correspondents
Association
was notified
that its
bubbling
"Board of
Examination"
investigating
Inner City
Press hasn't
complied with
the most basic
forms of due
process.
But
on July 3 UNCA
president
Giampaolo
Pioli
threatened to
sue Inner City
Press for
money -- "and
donate it to
UNCA," he
claimed --
and accepted
the Board of
Examination's
one-sided
report.
The
latter was
done in the
presence of
nine other
UNCA Executive
Committee
members, and
one member of
the Board of
Examination,
Ali
Barada.
Margaret
Besheer
of Voice
of America, a
US government
agency which
has
formally asked
the UN to
review
Inner City
Press'
accreditation
status in
contravention
of the First
Amendment,
sat silent
through
the meeting
but each time
voted against
Inner City
Press.
Reuters'
Lou
Charbonneau,
last seen on
Monday vowing
that the Board
of
Examination
report would
be released
because Inner
City Press had
dared question
his labeling
"exclusive" at
5 pm on June
30
a story with
similar topic
and material
as what Inner
City Press
published in
Google News
five hours
before,
likewise
hardly spoke
in
the meeting,
but voted
against Inner
City Press
each time. (Reuters'
internal
incentives for
exclusives
preliminarily
covered here.)
Timothy
Witcher
of Agence
France Presse,
who after a
complaint from
the
French Mission
to the UN
falsely
accused Inner
City Press in
September 2011
of using
information
from AFP --
Inner City
Press has
no need for
that -- also
said little,
just voting
again and
again
against Inner
City Press.
Bloomberg's
Flavia
Krause-Jackson,
who previously
claimed the
right to take
any
story on which
the UN gives a
public comment
as long as the
taker
does not label
it exclusive,
was again not
present.
Other
UNCA Executive
Committee
members have
said she was
been urged by
Bloomberg
management to
take a low
profile. But
she signed
the May 25
letter that
launched this
travesty.
The
other signer
of that
letter, last
seen claiming
to Pioli that
he
broke the Arms
Trade Treaty
and Palestine
story -- that
claim was
never
advanced
online, we
note --
demanded
answers and
got some.
He said his
media did not
make
uncredited
use, or any
use, of Inner
City Press'
cocaine in the
UN mailroom
exclusive.
Withou any
intent to
check, we
accept this.
But other big
media on the
UNCA executive
committee, and
beyond, did.
We'll have
more on this.
Inner
City Press
began by
saying Pioli
shouldn't
preside at the
meeting,
given his
lawyer's July
3 letter
(which among
other things
refers to
the UN
Correspondence
Association --
a letter
writing club?)
But
they voted for
Pioli to
continue.
Heck, he's
promised money
to UNCA,
a sort of
bounty hunting
against an
investigative
web site.
What
this comes
down to is an
attempt to
muzzle freedom
of the press,
because the UN
is in the US
but not of it.
The First
Amendment
stops on First
Avenue, as
Inner City
Press first
said.
But the fight
for press
freedom, in
the face of
threats from
extremists
supports of
the Sri Lankan
goverment and
today's more
tawdry
threats, will
continue.
Back
in the
kangaroo
court,
replacement
Examiner /
wannabe
mediator Ali
Barada said,
"you accused
Bill Reilly of
I don't know
what." He
wouldn't say
more. But
Inner City
Press was
clear: William
M.
Reilly,
Pioli's chosen
chairman of
the Board of
Examination,
had a
conflict of
interest. His
bogus report
proves it --
we'll have
more
on this. Watch
this site.
, 
