"The Middle Eastern nation backtracked after being asked about the restrictions — but inadvertently exposed its treatment of the news media."

"The United Arab Emirates quietly established sweeping restrictions on the hundreds of journalists expected to visit the country for international climate talks later this month.

Now, the UAE says it was a mistake.

The strict rules against publishing news that could antagonize the rulers of the seven monarchies that make up the country were removed from the United Nations’ website for the climate talks after POLITICO’s E&E News asked the UAE for comment this week.

But the incident has inadvertently highlighted the sharp divisions between how the UAE and its Western allies treat journalists and protesters. It comes as E&E News and other outlets have published stories about the conflicts between the Emiratis’ climate commitments and oil ambitions that could have run afoul of the UAE rules.

The constraints on news reporters were spelled out in a “Media Content Standards” issued by the UAE Media Regulatory Office and posted to the website of the U.N. climate agency Oct. 23. The UAE is leading this year’s climate talks, which begin in Dubai on Nov. 30."

Corbin Hiar reports for Politico November 10, 2023. [2]