| UN Spox Dujarric Blocks
Inner City Press on WhatsApp Taking Questions
Only From Friends
By Matthew
Russell Lee, Patreon Video
BBC
- Guardian
UK - Honduras
- CJR -
PFT
UN GATE / SDNY
COURT, March 20 – The United
Nations, which bills itself
the "world body," should
answer questions from the
press and public. But since
Secretary General Antonio
Guterres came in, the UN has
become more and more
opaque.
On March
16, Guterres' Spokesman
Stephane Dujarric in a nearly
empty Press Briefing Room said
that from now on he would
answer questions by text
message or WhatsApp. In
the days since, he has refused
all questions from Inner City
Press, on Cameroon and
Coronavirus.
On March 20
he went further. Before his
literally in-house briefing at
which he said he was taking
WhatApp questions, he blocked
Inner City Press on WhatsApp
at submitted its questions on
COVID-19 and Guinea. Nor did
his screener Florencia
Soto
Nino-Martinez,
who he named on camera,
even acknowledge the
question. Guterres and
Dujarric are corrupting
everything, and everyone.
On March
19 Guterres first glared at
the camera and then took four
questions hand-picked by
Melissa Fleming, video here.
Inner City Press' questions
entering via Periscope were
not taken, nor have they been
answered since. Guterres is
corrupt.
Several
disgusted members of the UN
Correspondents Association
forwarded to Inner City Press
an e-mail they received and
suggested it submit its
questions, about Guterres' and
Fleming's lack of financial
disclosure, cover up of UN
rapes and complicity in
Cameroon, through the ways
they were invited to. Here's
from the e-mail:
"Dear
colleagues, The
spokesperson's office has
provided us with both Stephane
and Farhan's cell number so
that correspondents can send a
question via WhatsApp or text
before noon. Stephane
Dujarric: +1 917 622
7652
Farhan Haq: +1
917 592 4591 In
addition, we are passing on an
update from MALU that there
will be NO signing in of
guests at UNHQ and the
accreditation office will not
be issuing any temporary
passes until further notice.
Valeria Robecco President,
United Nations Correspondents
Association."
Since the
March 18 home video, in which
Dujarric tried to distance
himself from his censorship by
saying the questions he could
see were being reviewed by
"Florencia" - that is,
Florencia
Soto
Nino-Martinez
- UNCA sources
have sent
Inner City
Press for
publication to
those who have
questions from
the UN her
work contact:
+1 917 226
7816. But will
today's UN
answer any but
its paid
friends'
questions?
There were no
answers, despite following the
procedures detailed above.
Inner City Press and the Free
UN Coalition for Access,
FUNCA, will have more on
this.
***
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