UNITED
NATIONS, April
16 -- Why does
the UN make
its reports
available in
paper form
in-house up to
48 hours
before it puts
them online
for the
world to see?
There is no
embargo. And
clearly, the
paper copies
are
printed from a
digital file.
Yesterday,
the
Free UN
Coalition for
Access put the
question in
writing to
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon's
spokesman
Martin
Nesirky, and
Inner
City Press
wrote about
it. But
Nesirky never
answered.
So
at the April
16 noon
briefing,
Inner City
Press put the
question
again to
Nesirky. He
said, before
quickly
turning to
another
questioner,
the UN put its
official
documents up
with no delay
into
the online
document
system, “it's
as simple as
that.” Video
here,
from Minute
12:20.
But
is it? Inner
City Press
began to ask
about the 48
hour delay,
but
Nesirky had
moved on,
promising to
return to the
questions.
When
he did, Inner
City Press
asked it
again: how
could it take
48 hours
to put the
reports,
already
distributed in
paper form,
online?
Now
it got worse,
or less
transparent.
Nesirky
said,
“I think
you're aware
of the
distinction
and I don't
intend
to go into
that here.” Video
here, from
Minute 13:50.
No,
Inner City
Press is NOT
aware whatever
distinction
Nesirky was
referring to,
without naming
or explaining.
If he didn't
want to
answer it in
the briefing
room, he could
have answered
FUNCA's
e-mail.
In
the same
briefing,
Nesirky cut
Inner City
Press off
before it
could
ask its
questions
about the 126
rapes in
Minova by the
Congolese
Army, the UN's
partner.
Nesirky
said
this was
because the
Department
of
Peacekeeping
Operations led
by Herve
Ladsous, who
Nesirky knows
does not
answer Inner
City Press'
questions,
would be
sending
answers
“quite
shortly.”
Well,
after three
hours no
answers had
come. And then
Reuters ran a
story with an
answer to
Inner City
Press'
question
sources to a
“statement by
the
UN.” There was
no press
release more
recently than
March on the
MONUSCO
mission's web
site.
Inner City
Press e-mailed
asking for an
explanation,
not only to
DPKO but also
Nesirky. But
nothing. Watch
this site.
, 
