After
UNCA Thanks
Hillary &
Lobs Softball,
Tradition
Claim Debunked
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, March
11, more here
-- That the UN
is a backwater
is one thing
-- but a
laughing stock
of softball
questions from
pre-screened
correspondents
is another. It
is a new lown.
Here is the
transcript:
UNCA
via Turkish
TV: Madam
Secretary, on
behalf of the
U.N.
correspondents
association,
thank you very
much for your
remarks and it's
wonderful to
see you here
again.
Madam
Secretary, why
did you opt
out using two
devices at the
time?
Obviously, if
this hadn't
come out, it
probably would
not have been
an issue. And
my second
follow up
question is, if
you are a man
today, would
all this fuss
be made?
While UNCA
after this
continues to
insist it is a
tradition it
gets set-aside
first question
at the
stakeout where
Hillary
Clinton spoke,
that is false,
as shown by
even a cursory
search of
http://webtv.un.org/search?term=stakeout
Given that
even for UN
Ambassadors
Samantha Power
and before her
Susan Rice
there has been
NO "tradition"
of first
questions at
the stakeout
set aside for
UNCA why was
it done in
this case,
seemingly with
the US Mission
to the UN?
UNCA has
brought the UN
press corps to
a new low -
despite its
utility to Ban
Ki-moon as a
reliable
source of
softball
questions, a
change is
needed. We'll
have more on
this.
Responding
to questions
about how this
set-aside
question came
about, UNCA
president Giampaolo
Pioli --
an Italian
journalist who
has never
asked the UN
about either
Central
African
Republic or
Burundi but is
now flying
with the UN
Security
Council to
both --
and his vice
president
claimed to Al
Kamen and
Colby Itzkowit
of “In
the Loop”
that it is
tradition that
UNCA gets the
first
question.
As to the
stakeout where
Hillary
Clinton spoke
on Tuesday,
this is not
true, as a
simple review
of past
stakeouts on
UNTV's website
shows.
The only
“tradition” at
issue here is
one of
servility.
Even as to the
sit-down UN
Press Briefing
Room, where
Hillary
Clinton did
NOT appear,
UNCA claim for
set-aside
first
questions is
contested;
when Chad
was the
president of
the Security
Council in
December 2014,
for example,
UNCA did not
get the first
question.
Often UNCA
doesn't sent
anyone to
press
conference,
for example one
on Tuesday
about women in
legislatures.
So why did
this UNCA get
the first
question to
Hillary
Clinton and
why was what
was asked
(about if
Hillary
Clinton were a
man the email
/ FOIA
controversy
not arising)
asked?
UNCA
performs this
softball
question
function for
Ban Ki-moon,
routinely.
In fact, UNCA
has shown
itself willing
to ask for the
expulsion
of the
investigative
Press which
was critical
of Ban (and
UNCA) on
inaction on
Sri Lanka
and other
issues.
At the
stakeout on
Tuesday,
Clinton
pointed to
give the first
question to
UNCA, saying
“Nick” is
choosing the
questions. But
it was not
Nick seen
negotiating
the question
with UNCA.
We'll have
more on this.
In
disclosure,
when UNCA's
Pioli ordered
Inner City
Press to take
off the
Internet its
reporting on
Sri Lanka and
Inner City
Press refused,
instead
offering to
publish any
letter to the
editor Pioli
would submit,
UNCA board
members tried
to get Inner
City Press
expelled not
only from UNCA
but the UN.
The latter was
exposed,
including using the US
Freedom of
Information
Act. When
Inner City
Press' elected
term on the
UNCA board
expired, Inner
City Press
quit the group
and co-founded
the new Free
UN Coalition
for Access.
The UN
shouldn't be
an easy venue
for softball
questions.
, 
