UNITED
NATIONS, June
12 -- The UN
on Wednesday
morning issued
a final Media
Access
Guideline,
with its
partner the UN
Correspondents'
Association,
which purports
to ban
journalists
from working
at the
Security
Council
stakeout,
including
having any
table to type
on, and
which attempts
to ban free
speech for any
organization
except UNCA.
It's
the work
of the UN and
its
Censorship
Alliance.
Despite
extensive
comments and
alternatives
submitted by
the new Free
UN
Coalition for
Access to
the top
officials of
the UN
Department of
Public
Information,
the "final"
rules state
for example
that the
Security
Council
stakeout
"including the
Turkish
Lounge, may
not be used as
a permanent
workspace for
the media."
Before
the
Security
Council moved
during the
Capital Master
Plan
renovation,
and during the
relocation,
there was a
media
worktable on
which
reporters
could use
laptops while
putting
questions to
diplomats and
UN officials
as they
entered and
left the
Council.
This
rule, not only
agreed to by
the UNCA
Executive
Committee but
pushed
for by several
of its big
media members
-- more on
these anon --
Bans
the table that
was
in place and
in use,
well, before
Ban Ki-moon.
It
attempts to
Ban
new media
coverage of
the Security
Council: short
pieces written
while
remaining at
the stakeout
to speak with
diplomats on a
range of
topics. Who is
against that?
Some are.
The
rule
explicitly
seeks to favor
UNCA and
create, in
essence, a
one-party
system. It
states:
"Bulletin
boards
have been
provided by
DPI to the
media for the
posting of
notices. All
notices should
be posted only
on those
bulletin
boards.
Signs posted
on doors are
limited to
entry
restrictions –
for
example, 'do
not disturb'
or 'on air.'
DPI will
provide a
name-plate
for each
accredited
media
organization."
But
the UN gives
UNCA, its
partner in
censorship, a
big office on
which
it has an
"UNCA" sign on
the door, and
over the door,
and a
large
glassed-in
bulletin board
-- on which in
2012 it posted
for
five months a
letter
denouncing a
co-founder of
FUNCA. This
new anti
free speech
rule is a new
low. More on
it to follow.
On
June 11, UNCA
held an
apparently
private
briefing -- it
did not
inform
resident
correspondents
who have
chosen not be
be members of
UNCA about it.
Why
does the UN
give UNCA a
big space, set
it up as
a one party
system?
Because
the UNCA Executive
Committee,
dominated
by among
others Reuters
and Agence
France Presse
-- which used
it to
defend the
fourth French
head of
Peacekeeping
Herve Ladsous
--agrees
to, even
lobbies for,
reductions in
press access,
and even
lobbies,
to UN and non
UN e-mail
addresses of
the official
behind these
rules,
to
get Press
thrown out of
the UN.
But
when the UN
eliminates all
seat for the
press and
public at the
General
Assembly Hall
in the North
Lawn building,
UN DPI
dissembles
that it is not
a reduction,
and its
Censorship
Alliance UNCA
is
silent. FUNCA
raised it, and
will be
raising all of
this.
UN
Censorship
Alliance, UN
in decline.
Watch this
site.
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