As
UN
Confirms DPA
to Feltman,
ICP's March 28
Scoop, Dodges
on Baggage
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
June 11 -- The
UN today
confirmed UN
official
Jeffrey
Feltman will
come to head
the Department
of Political
Affairs, which
Inner City
Press first
reported on
March 28
and some
others
re-reported, with
and without
credit, on
May 21.
Even
in its March
28
exclusive,
Inner City
Press quoted a
(very) well
placed
diplomatic
source
"'This
would
strip from the
UN its last
scrap of
credibility in
the Middle
East,' he
said, adding
that 'more
shoes would be
thrown at Ban
Ki-moon.' He
said, however,
that Ban might
be 'so out of
touch' -- or
so powerless
or craven --
that he would
rubber stamp
the nomination
of a Permanent
Five member of
the Security
Council as he
had France's
ill-fated and
11th hour
nomination of
Herve Ladsous
as the UN's
top
peacekeeper."
Since
then, Inner
City Press has
continued its
reporting,
fielding
complaints
(and
incredulity)
about Ban's
appointment of
Feltman and
then asking
Ban's
spokespeople
to response.
They have
repeatedly
said they
would have
nothing to say
until an
announcement.
On
Monday, ten
minutes after
Ban's lead
spokesman
Martin Nesirky
made the
announcement
of Feltman,
Inner City
Press asked
again for a
response
to the
critique.
This
time, Nesirky
said that
Feltman will
become an
international
civil servant.
He
noted that
Inner City
Press had just
heard the UN's
oath to that
effect, at the
swearing in of
new Under
Secretary
General for
Field
Support Amira
Haq. (Inner
City Press took
a photo during
the swearing
in and Tweeted
it, here.)
But
Feltman has
been the FACE
of US policy,
and parties
have strong
feeling about
him, in
Lebanon and
elsewhere,
Inner City
Press pointed
out.
Nesirky
said
Feltman is
also expert in
Eastern
Europe. Well,
there is that.
We'll
have more.
Footnote:
On
what we'll for
now call Reuters'
unauthorized
uncredited May
21
use of
Inner City
Press' March
28 exclusive
on Feltman,
we are NOT
listing the UN
side of that
"reporting,"
but noting
that
one of the
other Reuters
people listed
is ironically
receiving a
journalism
award this
very night at
the Water
Club. But it
costs $135
to get in.
Still
no response
from Stephen
J. Adler and
his colleagues
at Reuters,
even after
they've
twice been
notified of
Reuters' role
in a process
given rise to
threats
against Inner
City Press.
Ah, remote
corporate
journalism...
, 
