UNITED
NATIONS, April
30 -- The
Russian
Mission to the
UN on Tuesday
hosted
a presentation
and Q&A by
television
journalist
Anastasia
Popova.
The lights in
the
chandeliers
were turned
down; on a
screen people
were beheaded
by the armed
opposition in
Syria.
In
the half light
Popova asked a
series of
rhetorical
questions: why
does Western
media not show
this? Why is
this footage,
albeit in
Russian, not
used in the
UN, where
Russia is one
of the six
official
languages?
When
the lights
came up, Inner
City Press
asked not only
Popova but
also
Russian Deputy
Permanent
Representative
Pankin if, in
fact, TV
and
news reports
can be used in
the Security
Council.
Ambassador
Pankin
took the
microphone and
explained an
agreement in
the Council
not to use
media as
proof. He went
on to muse
that while CNN
is much
viewed in the
US, not so
much in France
or
Switzerland.
He said that
Al Jazeera is
mostly viewed
if you speak
Arabic.
Al
Jazeera
English was at
the event and
seemed to
bristle. In
her
presentation,
Popova mocked
Al Jazeera (as
well as
Reuters) by
name;
she said the
rebels sold
their footage
to Arabic
satellite
channels.
Once
Pankin had
finished,
Popova added
that she
offered
information in
Geneva to Paulo
Pinheiro's
inquiry on
Syria but was
rejected.
They
interviewed
refugees who'd
left Syria,
and didn't
trust Popova's
interviews.
Regarding
another
skeptic, she
recounted
being accused
of
torturing
those she
interviewed.
Inner
City Press
asked a second
question,
about the the
alleged
use of
chemical
weapons at
Khan al Asal.
Popova said
she was there.
Inner
City Press
asked, on what
basis are you
saying it was
an opposition
attack?
Eyewitnesses,
she said.
Would Ban
Ki-moon's
prober
Sellstrom
consider this?
Many
in the
audience were
from Western
media --
Reuters,
Agence France
Presse, Voice
of America.
Their
questions were
cagey: how did
Popova
get access to
the
opposition,
since they
hate Russia?
Didn't she
admit that at
first the
Syrian
opposition was
peaceful,
popular and
for democracy?
(She didn't).
When
it was over, a
Russian
diplomat
formerly with
the mission
but no
longer
recounted a
meeting with
the Department
of Public
Information
about
translating
materials into
Russian. But
being shown
now, this
month, on
DPI's UN
Television is
an outside
show in which
the
president of
the UN
Correspondents'
Association
(who came late
and
asked nothing)
gushes
that everyone
was ready for
transition in
Libya.
Really? This
is an issue
Inner City
Press, and the
Free UN
Coalition for
Access, is
working on.
Watch this
site.
, 
