CPJ
Raised Sri
Lanka Case,
But “Knows
Little” of UN,
Archaic
Rules &
UNCA
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
February 14 –
When the
Committee to
Protect
Journalists
came to the UN
Thursday to
“launch” its
annual report
on press
freedom Inner
City Press
asked them,
not for the
first time,
about
the UN's
own treatment
of the full
range of
journalists,
their right
to access the
UN and to
due process if
challenged. Video
here, from
Minute 29:12.
As
example, Inner
City Press
noted the UN
limiting
accreditation
by
geography and
to those who
abide by the
“principles of
the
Organization,”
and total lack
of due process
rules for
journalists
on complaints
as those filed
against Inner
City Press in
2012 by
Voice
of America,
Reuters'
Louis
Charbonneau
and the “UN
Correspondents
Association”
for which he
spoke on
Thursday. Video
here, from
Minute 12:04.
Rob
Mahoney of
CJP, who had
begun the
press
conference by
saying “we
look to the
UN” on these
issues,
declined to
comment on the
"internal
dynamics of
the UN's
accreditation
process,"
saying he
doesn't know
enough
about it since
he focuses on
"international
press freedom
issues." Video
here, from
Minute 30:40.
But aren't
unfair rules
of the UN
worldwide in
denying access
to journalists
"international
press freedom
issues"? And
how can you
"look to the
UN" to help if
you don't
first look AT
the UN?
While
Charbonneau's
UNCA in
mid-2012
initiated a
process
against Inner
City Press citing
an article it
wrote about
Sri Lanka
(and UNCA, see
here),
Inner City
Press received
death threats
from
supporters of
the Rajapaksa
government in
Sri Lanka.
Inner
City Press
asked UNCA to
stop or at
least suspend
its process;
this
was refused,
including by
Charbonneau,
who told Inner
City Press to
“go to the
NYPD.”
Remembering
CPJ's
Bob Dietz'
focus on Sri
Lanka, Inner
City Press
wrote to him
and CPJ's Joel
Simon. The
response came
from CPJ's
Americas
Research
Associate Sara
Rafsky:
“Thank
you very much
for alerting
us about your
situation. At
the moment,
the Americas
program is
swamped with
urgent
cases... Thus
it will
most likely be
some time
before I can
look into your
case.”
These
was no follow
up by CPJ. The
New
York Civil
Liberties a
month later,
citing the
complaint
against Inner
City Press,
asked
the UN to
state its due
process rules,
which the UN
has yet to
do.
The
newly formed Free UN Coalition for Access, on behalf
of which Inner
City Press
thanked
Mahoney and
his largely
silent panel
for coming,
is pursuing
changes to the
UN's archaic
and
exclusionary
accreditation
rules and
Media Access
Guidelines.
UNCA's,
and
Charbonneau's,
response has
been to tear
down flyers on
the
topic.
CPJ &
Reuters
current and
former, Feb
14, 2013 (c)
MRLee
On
Thursday when
Inner City
Press asked
about
developments
in Sri Lanka,
including the
president's
brother and
defense
minister
threatening an
editor,
Mahoney
replied that
Dietz did not
come this year
because he
was sick, but
that CPJ
raises the
case of
cartoonist
Prageeth
whenever it
can.
Does
CPJ think the
UN under
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon does
enough on
press freedom,
particularly
but not only
in Sri Lanka?
The
problem here
is that groups
like CPJ like
to use the UN
to “launch”
their reports.
Mahoney joked
with two
separate
Reuters
reporters:
click here,
here
and here
for three (of
many)
documents
obtained
under the
Freedom of
Information
Act reflecting
Reuters and
the UN.
Reuter's
Charbonneau
shakes with
Ban: on what?
(c) Luiz
Rampelloto
CPJ
or at least
Mahoney seem
to assume that
Big Media like
Reuters (and
Agence
France Presse,
click
here) can
do no wrong.
But that is
not
the case.
Footnote:
Mahoney to his
credit put
forth a
definition of
journalism far
broader than
the one pushed
-- anonymously
-- by UNCA
"leaders" in a
counterfeit
social media
account they
established,
which refers
repeatedly to
"non-media
activists"
as those who
question
UNCA's acts,
including
through the
Free UN
Coalition for
Access. Most
recently, they
send / copy
the
counterfeit
messages to
countries'
mission to
the UN.
So
in terms of
vetting and
advocacy at
and about the
UN, would CPJ
do better?
Definitely.
Will it? Watch
this site.
, 
