As
UNTV
Goes Silent on
S.
Sudan, FUNCA
Presses
Questions,
Threats &
Blocks
UNITED
NATIONS, July
8, updated --
When the
Security
Council met
Monday about
South Sudan,
the UN didn't
broadcast any
sound. On
screen, envoy
Hilde
Johnson's
mouth was
moving. But
nothing could
be heard.
The Free UN Coalition for Access took
to Twitter to
ask why;
the question
was seconded.
To his credit,
UN official
Stephane Dujarric
acknowledged
a “tech
glitch”
and asked for
patience.
But he
and the UN
have yet to
answer why the
noon briefing
was not
webcast live.
[Update: Dujarric
says it was,
seemingly
referring to "EZTV"
and not
how the
outside world
access the UN
- a concern
of FUNCA's,
including with
regard to the
General
Assembly, now
with no seats
for public or
press.] Some
who came to
complain at
noon wondered
aloud if this
might be UN
censorship.
Inner
City Press,
FUNCA
co-founder,
asked
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon's
spokeperson
Martin Nesirky
if the snafus
were related
to the UN
hiring a
low-bid
contractor
TeamPeople
which laid off
many long time
workers. See
previous
Inner City
Press coverage,
here.
Back
at the
Security
Council
stakeout, US
Acting
Permanent
Representative
Rosemary
DiCarlo came
out to speak
of South
Sudan. But the
microphone was
too low, and
the new quite
young boom
microphone
TeamPerson
didn't know it
was his job to
raise it.
No one
could hear
anything; an
AP reporter
leaned in
through the
UNTV filming
box to extend
his
microphone. To
this has the
UN descended.
Footnote:
FUNCA
began its new
@FUNCA_questions
feed today.
The UN
mission in
Mali @MINUSMA
responded
-- more on
Mali in
another story
later today --
and then Dujarric,
also to
@InnerCityPress.
Only one
problem:
Dujarric previously
blocked
@InnerCityPress
on Twitter.
There is a
history to
this, too long
for this
piece.
Meanwhile
the Department
of Public
Information
has still not
rescinded its
June 24 threat
to suspend or
withdraw
Inner City
Press' acccreditation
for merely
posting a
single Free
UN Coalition
for Access
sign, when
it allows UNCA two
signs and
much more.
We'll have
more on this
-- and on
South Sudan,
if despite the
UN “black out”
we can find
out more.
Watch this
site.
* * *
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