UN Is
OK with
Censorship In
Burkina,
Silent on
Killed
Journalist in
S. Sudan
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, May
21 -- At the
UN there is
much talk
about the
protection of
journalists in
conflict situations,
and about
freedom of the
press. But
when Inner
City Press for
the Free UN
Coalition for
Access on
May 21 asked
the UN about a
journalist
killed in South
Sudan,
where the UN
has a mission,
there was
nothing:
Inner
City Press /
FUNCA: In
South Sudan, a
journalist of
Radio Tamazuj,
Pow James
Raeth, is
reported to
have been
killed by
gunfire in
Akobo.
And I wanted
to know
whether
UNMISS, which
I believe
still has a
facility in
Akobo, is
aware of it,
if they have
any comment on
it, and what
they think is
behind the
killing of
this
journalist.
Deputy
Spokesman
Farhan
Haq:
We'll have to
check with
UNMISS
whatever
details there
are of that
incident.
Seven hours
later, there
was no answer.
The day
before, on May
20, Inner City
Press for
FUNCA asked
about Burkina
Faso:
Inner
City Press /
FUNCA: Burkina
Faso has
announced that
it's banning
live political
broadcasts for
three months
in the run-up
to elections,
and a number
of press
organizations
have been
critical of
it.
Given DPA
(Department of
Political
Affairs) and
the UN's kind
of involvement
in different
stages in
Burkina Faso,
do you have
any view of
that banning
of live
political
broadcasts?
Deputy
Spokesman
Haq: I
don't know
whether it's a
banning or
whether it's
restrictions.
There are a
number of
countries that
restrict
political
broadcasts in
the run-up to
elections, and
sometimes
that's
designed to
lessen the
threat of
electoral
violence, so
that's a more
complicated
issue.
So at this
stage, we
wouldn't have
anything to
say about
that. If
there are
concerns about
actual
harassment of
journalists,
that would be
a case for
concern.
What
about the
killing of a
journalist in
South Sudan?
Next week the
UN Security
Council under
its Lithuania
presidency has
a meeting on
the protection
of journalists,
and we will
cover it. But
we will not cover
the RSF side
event with
Christophe
Deloire held
in the clubhouse
of UNCA, which
typically did
not ask about
the journalist
killing in
South Sudan or
censorship in
Burkina Faso.
In fact, UNCA
board members
tried to get
the
investigative
Press thrown
out of the UN,
for its
reporting, becoming
the UN Censorship
Alliance.
Many
organizations
like to
"launch" their
reports at or
in the United
Nations, and
so ask few
questions
about UN. The
Committee to
Protect
Journalists
did one earlier
this year.
Tellingly,
while CPJ
spoke out
against the
censorship in
Burkina Faso,
it has said
nothing about
the UN's
defense of it.
What is the likelihood
of Burkina
reversing
itself, when
it now has UN
endorsement?
On
February
14, 2013,
Inner City
Press asked
CPJ about the
UN
Correspondents
Association's
board members
trying to censor
its reporting
about Sri
Lanka and
trying to get
its UN
accreditation
"reviewed."
The
CPJ response
was no comment
on the "internal
dynamics of
the UN's
accreditation
process,"
saying its
focus is
"international
press freedom
issues." Isn't
censorship at
the UN
international?
Now it gets
worse - the
above quoted
Q&A was at
least in the
open UN Press
Briefing Room.
Now CPJ
intends to
take its
report launch
behind closed
doors in
clubhouse the
UN gives UN,
its UN
Censorship
Alliance,
publicized
only to those
who pay UNCA
money.
The new Free
UN Coalition
for Access
challenges all
this - and
CPJ's
corporate and
selective
advocacy for
only some
journalism. It
is a tuxedo
approach such
as on display
in DC.
Back on
February 14,
2013 when CPJ
came to the UN
Press Briefing
Room 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
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 was
to tear down
flyers on the topic.
Atop UNCA
again is
Giampaolo
Pioli the past
president who,
after renting
one of his
apartments to
Palitha
Kohona, later
granted
Kohona's
request as Sri
Lanka's
ambassador to
screen
that
government's
war crimes
denial film
"Lies Agreed
To" inside the
UN, under
the UNCA
banner. Inner
City Press
reported on
it, was told
to remove the
article from
the Internet
or face
expulsion from
the UN. That
is censorship,
and CPJ was
informed: but
partners with
UNCA. This is
not press
freedom.
Then on
February 12,
2014 when
CPJ its "Attacks
on the Press"
report online, under the heading Africa
there were
pages on
Tanzania and
Swaziland, for
example, but none
on South Sudan
or Mali.
CPJ's
Joel Simon
began the
February 12,
2014 "launch"
press
conference by
explaining why
it was held at
the United
Nations (he
cited
countries
trying to use
the UN to
control the
Internet).
Inner City
Press when
called on
asked if CPJ
thinks the UN
Peacekeeping
missions in
South Sudan
and Mali do
enough to
combat
crackdowns on
the press
there, for
example the
Salva Kiir
government
seizing a
complete issue
of the Juba
Monitor, and
theats against
MaliActu..
Now
we wonder,
including on
behalf of the
Free UN Coalition for Access, what CPJ
thinks of the
UN bureau
chief of
Reuters, with
essentially a
permanent seat
on UNCA board,
mis-using the
Digital
Millennium
Copyright Act
to get
Google to
block access to a leaked anti-Press
complaint to
the UN from
its search.
Isn't that
censorship?
CPJ &
Reuters
current and
former, Feb
14, 2013 (c)
MRLee
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.
Watch
this site.
, 
