Over 15,000 of you signed our petition calling on the UN to take the appropriate action and fire false photo tweeter Khulood Badawi and we delivered. HonestReporting is privileged to be based in Jerusalem at the heart of many of the media stories that you read. And to make sure that the UN got the message, HR CEO Joe Hyams took advantage of our physical location and personally delivered a hard copy to the OCHA headquarters in Jerusalem.
It’s rare that HonestReporting circulates a petition. However, the UN left us with little choice. Those of you attempting to register your disgust at Khulood Badawi’s false photo tweet were met with a virtual firewall as UN emails bounced and the website of the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) prevented complaints getting through.
Upon arrival at OCHA HQ, a staff member accepted the petition and on returning after a few minutes, claimed to have presented it to the head of OCHA’s office. The organization refused to give any further comment or update.
Our exposé reached all the way to the UN building in Turtle Bay, New York, as Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Ron Prosor publicly called on the UN to dismiss Badawi. Together with our petition, we know that the UN has got the message.
Joe Hyams said:
Badawi has proven unreliable as a source of information by using her Twitter account to spread false and harmful information about Israel.
She has refused to acknowledge any wrongdoing or apologize for spreading propaganda. It is inappropriate for a UN employee to engage in political activism and the UN must disassociate itself from her immediately.
It’s time for the UN to take the message on board and do the right thing – fire Khulood Badawi.
