UNITED
NATIONS, June
3 -- This UN
has become
lawless, in
matters large
and
small. Big
picture,
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon
tersely denied
5,000
legal claims
based on the
UN bringing
cholera to
Haiti, and has
yet to respond
to a letter
from 19
members of the
US Congress
about
it.
Smaller,
but
just today, Ban's UN
imposed a new
rule of "no
media
workspace" in
front of the
UN Security
Council,
going so far
as
to seize
a small work
table put
there by Inner
City Press and
the
Free
UN Coalition
for Access
-- but refused
to say whether
the rule
has gone into
effect.
The
same rule
would prohibit
substantive
FUNCA fliers
about the
reduction
in media
workspace and
access -- but
on Monday the
UN
Correspondents
Association
which has said
nothing about
the loss of a
Security
Council work
table erected
a large
bulletin
board. But it
has nothing
to say. That's
just the way
the UN likes
it.
From
the transcript
of Monday's UN
noon briefing:
Inner
City Press:
There has been
some back and
forth about
these media
access
guidelines or
rules, but
this morning,
since there
was no
table, I put a
small table
there to work
on in order to
cover the
bi-laterals.
And returning
there from the
ATT [Arms
Trade Treaty]
stakeout, the
table was gone
and I was told
the lady from
DPI
[Department of
Public
Information]
took it. So, I
am wanting to
know: what are
the rules? Did
these rules
which would
seek to
prohibit media
workspace in
front of the
Security
Council, have
they
gone into
effect, or are
they still
being
considered?
And why was
the small
table actually
used for work
in covering
the Council
taken?
Spokesperson
Martin
Nesirky: Well,
I know you’ve
had extensive
exchanges both
with my
colleague
Eduardo [del
Buey], sitting
here in the
past couple
of weeks; and
also with
Stéphane
Dujarric. I
don’t have
anything
to add on that
at this point.
Inner
City Press:
the reason I
ask that is
just because
it seems like
the
UN often talks
about rules,
and
transparency
and since it
moved and
since it was
foreseeable, I
wasn’t aware
that there was
already a
ban in effect
on work space.
That’s why I
put the table
there. But
it’s gone.
Spokesperson
Nesirky:
As I say,
Matthew, I
don’t have
anything to
add to the
extensive
exchanges
you’ve had
with a number
of people,
primarily
with Eduardo
and Stéphane.
Any other
questions?
Inner
City Press:
Would you tell
us when the
rules go into
effect? I just
wanna know
when.
Spokesperson:
Matthew, you
can put the
question any
way you like;
I don’t have
anything
further to add
to the
extensive
exchanges
you’ve already
had, okay?
But
these
"exchanges"
have not
answered the
basic
question:
have these
rules gone
into effect?
Who agreed to
them? Who
drafted
these
paragraphs:
"f.
The Security
Council
stakeout area,
including the
Turkish
Lounge, is
not to be used
as a permanent
workspace for
the media.
When the
Council is not
in session,
correspondents
should
minimize the
amount
of time in the
area, unless
interviewing
or conversing
with a U.N.
delegate or
official."
and
"Posting
of
notices is
restricted to
the bulletin
boards
provided by
DPI,
including the
UNCA bulletin
board (by U.N.
Correspondents
Association
officials),
and the
General Access
Bulletin Board
(by all
accredited
correspondents).
Signs posted
on doors are
limited to
entry
restrictions,
for example,
'do not
disturb' or
'on air' or
the
identification
of your
organization.
All other
notices (e.g.
announcement
of
meetings/event,
press
releases) are
prohibited
unless
specifically
authorized by
Media
Accreditation
and Liaison
Unit (MALU).
"Failure
to
adhere to
guidelines in
this document
can be grounds
for
withdrawal or
suspension of
accreditation."
So
a journalist
faces
"withdrawal of
accreditation"
for free
speech. The
above has been
edited to be
less personal.
But.. Watch
this site.
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