US
State Dep't Taking IJR's McPike
to Asia Snarked At
By Those Silent on UN
Handpicking WP, AJE
By Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS,
March 14 – US Secretary of
State Rex Tillerson selecting
Independent Journal Review's
Erin McPike to cover his trip
to Asia is already catching
flak. But did these same media
organizations say anything
when UN Secretary General
Antonio Guterres took no press
with him on his recent trip to
Kenya and Somalia, then invited
Al Jazeera to witness in
Somalia, and the Washington
Post for a laudatory
interview? No, they did not.
So what is the standard?
When the
US State Department on
Tuesday's snow day held its
media briefing by telephone,
many of the questions were on
Secretary Tillerson (not)
taking media on his trip to
Asia. Acting Spokesperson Mark
Toner was asked, if one seat
was devoted to the media,
would Tillerson hand-pick its
occupant? It's a good question
- but the United Nations
already does
this, without complaint
except from the Free
UN Coalition for Access.
Secretary General Antonio
Guterres' recent trip to Kenya
and Somalia was
journalist-free, except
that Al Jazeera was called in
to witness the Somalia leg,
and the Washington Post was
given an interview for a
highly positive profile piece.
What if Tillerson did this?
With the media he prefers?
Toner was asked why
Tillerson's meetings with Gulf
leaders have been closed
press. But Guterres didn't
even disclose his
telephone call with Morocco's
King about Western Sahara;
only Inner City Press, as the
UN's in-person briefing,
complained. AFP asked Toner
about the Netherlands and
Turkey; AP asked about
Bahrain.
NPR
raised the question of UN budget cuts,
but Toner put off answering at
least until Thursday. Inner
City Press has been wondering
of the Administration's review
of the UN's recent belated
announcements on whistleblower
protections and
peacekeeper sexual
abuse. But the question
Inner City Press submitted
after the call by e-mail
concerns Cameroon.
We now expect an answer on the
ides of March. Watch this
site.
***
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