The United Nations headquarters in New York City once again rejected issuing press credentials to several journalists from the two American media companies, “The Epoch Times” and its sister media outlet “NTD TV,” on September 22. For the past twenty years, the United Nations has consistently followed this practice, raising concerns about pressure from the Chinese Communist Party behind the scenes.
Recently, Emel Akan, a senior correspondent for “The Epoch Times” based in the White House, was preparing to report on the activities of President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio during the United Nations General Assembly on September 22. Akan had submitted an application for a UN press pass through the State Department and received an email instructing her to pick up the press pass in New York City.
However, when she arrived in New York on September 22, U.S. State Department officials informed Akan that the United Nations had rejected her application, citing that the UN considered “The Epoch Times” to be a non-governmental organization rather than a news agency.
Jasper Fakkert, the editor-in-chief of “The Epoch Times,” stated in a statement on September 23, “The Epoch Times is the fourth largest newspaper in the United States. The UN is bowing to the CCP by implementing censorship on U.S. soil, which is unacceptable.”
“The Epoch Times’ duty is to provide readers with truthful and objective information. We urge the UN to provide the necessary press credentials to ‘The Epoch Times’ to fulfill our reporting responsibilities.”
Meanwhile, two staff members from the Washington branch of NTD TV, reporters Mari Otsu and cameraman Chen Lei, did not receive any confirmation after submitting their applications. A UN representative informed Otsu over the phone that her application did not meet the requirements but refused to provide further explanation.
“The Epoch Times” was founded by Chinese Americans in the United States in 2000 to resist the censorship and human rights violations of the CCP. It is an independent news organization currently publishing in 22 languages in 33 countries/regions.
Over the years, the CCP regime and its proxies have continuously exerted pressure on “The Epoch Times,” attempting to shut it down. These pressures include attacks on the newspaper’s journalists and printing facilities in Hong Kong, as well as frequent cyberattacks.
In 2024, a whistleblower revealed that Chinese leader Xi Jinping personally instructed Chinese security agencies in 2022 to intensify their crackdown on “The Epoch Times” and NTD TV as part of CCP’s global suppression efforts.
In March 2024, U.S. government agencies charged dozens of Chinese professional hackers and CCP law enforcement officials for engaging in years-long hacking activities, including attacks on “The Epoch Times.”
Recently, CCP cyber personnel posed as “The Epoch Times” and issued threats to U.S. federal agencies.
For years, the CCP authorities have been pressuring the UN, interfering with the reporting work of “The Epoch Times.”
In 2019, an application by “The Epoch Times” correspondent Akan to cover a high-level UN meeting was also rejected without explanation. Despite sending multiple emails requesting more information, the UN did not respond within two weeks. The UN’s Department of Global Communications later replied to Akan from a generic email address without specific details, informing her that the media she applied for did not meet the requirements but refused Akan’s appeal, stating that the organization would review applications on a case-by-case basis.
In 2003, after several days of no response to reporters’ follow-up inquiries, a UN press officer in New York told NTD TV that the application to cover the Geneva Human Rights Commission activities had become complicated due to “pressure from the CCP.” In June 2004, a similar incident occurred again as a UN official admitted that the organization had received a phone call from Chinese officials inquiring about NTD TV’s news coverage permits. While initially rejecting the application, the organization eventually issued an interview permit to NTD TV.
Despite these incidents, NTD TV has faced repeated obstacles and rejections from the UN when attempting to increase the number of reporting journalists. The media’s two reporters stationed at the UN found their activities restricted, citing complaints from the Chinese delegation as a reason for limiting their coverage at events attended by the Chinese delegation.
The CCP’s influence on the UN is also evident in other aspects. Over the years, despite repeated calls from the U.S. and other countries, the UN still prohibits Taiwan from participating in UN forums, including the General Assembly and the World Health Organization.
The UN also refuses to recognize media journalists from Taiwan.
In April 2024, Federal Representative Chris Smith of New Jersey told “The Epoch Times” that the CCP regime manipulates the UN system with impunity.
Smith said, “No matter where you look, the situation is dire and worsening, yet they are exercising comprehensive pressure at the UN to cover up this fact.”
“The Epoch Times” made several phone calls to the UN inquiring about the influence of the CCP in the decision to deny Akan a press pass, but the UN did not respond. A UN spokesperson directed “The Epoch Times” to contact the UN Media Accreditation Office, but as of the time of publication, the office had not replied.
Editor-in-chief Fakkert stated, “For decades, the CCP has continuously targeted our journalists, advertisers, and printing facilities, attacking ‘The Epoch Times.’ We will continue to defend press freedom.”