By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
September 21
-- How limited
is press
access to the
UN General
Assembly going
to be this
year? On the
Saturday
before the
speeches
begin, Italy
sent out the
following
warning:
"Print
journalists
will have
extremely
limited space
(10-12 spots
standing room
only) in one
of the side
booths and
should report
to the Media
Center from
where they
will be
accompanied by
the UN press
office on a
'first come /
first served
basis.
TV/Photographers
can follow
from the TV
booths in the
General
Assembly,
accompanied by
the UN press
office on a
“first
come/first
served” basis
and should
report to the
Media Center;
please be
advised that
due to the
temporary
location of
the GA Hall,
there are only
6 booths with
limited
capacity."
The Free UN Coalition for Access has been
challenging
these
restrictions
at least since
June. But at a
press
conference on
September 13,
when Inner
City Press
asked for
FUNCA, this
"standing room
only" booth
was presented
as the
response. Video here and embedded
below. FUNCA
has issued a
flier:
A
booth without
even laptops
or a work
table is not
enough. And
more stakeouts
and Q&As
must be
provided. UN
noon briefings
should not be
canceled,
particularly
not for mere
two- or
three-questions
'press
conferences.'
The
problems
extend to the
Security
Council, with
the media is
penned in
without
electrical
outlets; access
to the UNSC’s
trip to Africa
has been ceded
to France.
A full range
of coverage
and questions
must be
permitted and
not cut off.
This is
unacceptable
censorship, as
are the
anonymous
social media
trolling and
now
counterfeiting
begun by board
members of the
Association
that does not
want its name
used. UN Room
S-310 should
be for all
journalists,
not only those
paying money.
We’ll have
more on this.
Correspondents
who
have had their
office space
taken away and
downgraded to
a Green P pass
are being
blocked from
re-entering
the UN after
“business
hours,” even
if their
laptops are
inside. To
confine all
media without
UN office
space to a
North Lawn
"Media
Center,"
without even
the stakeout
around the
corner that
existed last
year, is
unacceptable.
The UN must do
better
including on
access. This
is true not
only for
General Debate
week, but for
all year. This
is true not
only for media
with offices
in the UN, but
for all those
interested in
covering the
UN.
We'll
have more on
this. Watch
this site --
and @FUNCA_info.
, 
