UNITED
NATIONS, June
21 – Two press
benches
were put in
front of the
UN
Security
Council on
Friday
morning, after
three weeks of
journalists
having to
stand all day
or sit on the
floor, and a
month of
advocacy by
the Free
UN Coalition
for Access
for a media
worktable and
electrical
outlets.
While
certainly
better than
nothing, the
two benches
seat five
reporters.
It's strange,
because the
Department of
Public
Information's
response
to FUNCA's
request that
the media
worktable be
restored has
been that
DPI would not
serve only
five
journalists,
but rather the
entire
resident press
corps.
Since
not all
journalists
want to cover
all Security
Council
consultations,
having a table
that sat five
or six was
never a
problem. It
should be
restored, and
FUNCA will
continue to
push for it,
having already
delivered a
full page of
signatures on
a petition on
just this
issue
to DPI.
The
problem has
been a new set
of Media
Access
Guidelines
that DPI
agreed
with the old
UN
Correspondents
Association's
Executive
Committee this
month. FUNCA
commented
against the
Guidelines on
May 21 and
since:
the draft
tried
to say that
reporters
should only be
at the
stakeout when
there was a
formal Council
meeting.
FUNCA
pointed out
that there are
bilateral
meetings at
the beginning
of the
month, and
meetings by
the Council
president with
non-Council
members. Inner
City Press
reports and
will continue
to report on
these.
That
line was
dropped, but
UNCA agreed or
obtained other
provisions it
wanted,
including
trying to
outlaw FUNCA
fliers and
even, it seems
or
seemed, the
single FUNCA
sign in the
third floor
press floor. Photo here, by
FUNCA
co-founder
Luiz
Rampelotto.
On this
floor, UNCA
has two signs,
a big meeting
room, a
separate
office and
even a locked
pantry in
which it
stores its
wine glasses.
All this
while
journalists
don't have a
space to work, and
while the
press and
public have
been banned,
other than a
few
photographers,
from covering
the General
Assembly.
FUNCA will
continue
fighting.
Watch this
site.
Footnote:
Confronted
with an
inordinate DPI
focus on a
simple Free UN
Coalition
for Access
sign, after
voluntarily
making
concessions on
the posting
of fliers,
FUNCA has
expanded its
advocacy for
greater access
at and
openness by
the UN.
This
now includes
on the record
social media /
Twitter (@FUNCA_info,
click here),
at UN
Peacekeeping
missions like
that in
Liberia, and
UN entities
like the
Alliance of
Civilizations
and even
“Greening the
Blue,” which
has been asked
to disclose
the carbon
footprint of
Ban Ki-moon's
entourage and
its traveling.
Now, Ban's
deputy
spokesperson
has been
asked. We'll
see.
, 
