UN's
Dujarric Says Of Guterres "Main
Purpose Is Photo Coverage," Any
Q Is Self-Centered
By Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS,
May 9 – Three days after UN
Secretary General Antonio
Guterres had his UN Security
hinder Inner City Press from
covering his Portuguese
language garden party in the
UN, now Guterres has invented
a new restriction on
longstanding UN photo
opportunities, limited them to
undefined "photo agencies
only." Guterres' spokesman
Stephane Dujarric acknowledged
to Inner City Press in writing
that this is something new,
but has yet to explain what
the definition is, why the
restriction is being imposed
and who is behind it.
Ultimately, it is Guterres,
increasingly untransparent.
Inner City Press asked
Guterres' spokesman Dujarric
two rounds of questions about
this on May 9, ultimately with
Dujarric saying it was
"self-centered" to even ask -
this hours before Inner City
Press was banned from covering
Guterres' UNdisclosed 3:30 pm
meeting with Al Sharpton,
unlike another photographer.
From the UN's May 9 transcript,
video
here: Inner City Press:
this morning, Rosemary DiCarlo
was sworn in as the new Head
of Department of Political
Affairs (DPA). And, in
the media alert, I didn't
realize you were this closely
in… in… in charge of it, but
it says, "photo agencies
only". So, apparently… I
guess I'm wondering, this is a
change, and you've described
this as "photo agencies are
entities whose main purpose is
photo coverage".
Spokesman: That would
seem logical.
Inner
City Press:
So, does this mean that, for
example… I see it as… it seems
like you would want more
coverage rather than less up
there, but my question is, by
that definition, it seems like
wire services are not… their
primary purpose is not photo
coverage. So, is this…
I'm asking you… That's why I
need…
Spokesman: Okay. I
think the question was to
me. I'm trying to bring
some rationale in the way
photo ops are organized.
I think entities who do photo
coverage on a regular basis,
whose primary goal is to do
photo coverage, like the photo
services of the wires, will be
covered by it. There are
other photo ops where there
will be comments and speaking
will be open to a wider range.
Inner
City Press:
But my question… you said
entities, number one, so the
primary purpose… you're now
saying that entities can have
different components. Is
this directed at a smaller
media I just would like to
know… It's kind of
tumbleweeds up there.
There's nobody there.
Spokesman: It's directed
at rationalizing the process,
as I see it. Thank you.
Inner
City Press:Did
you consult with anyone before
you did this? Because
there's people that take
photographs… there are a
number of photographers at the
UN, including some that double
with UN Photo, as you may
know. Just a unilateral…
Spokesman: Everything
was consulted.
But with
whom? Inner City Press asked
later in the May 9 briefing:
Inner City Press: f you're
going to change who has access
to the 38th Floor, you need to
define "photo agency".
But I was told today that MALU
(Media Accreditation and
Liaison Unit) has been charged
with creating a list of
individuals who were allowed
to go upstairs. So, I
wanted to know… If that's the
case, I wanted to know what
your stance is…
Spokesman: Matthew,
Matthew, Matthew… you're…
Inner
City Press:
No, seriously. I take
photographs and publish them
in a service, and so I want to
know…
Spokesman: Matthew,
Matthew, Matthew, besides me,
you're probably one of the
most self-centred people I've
ever met. This is not
about you. This is a
decision we've taken to
rationalize the process…
Inner City Press: So is the
list going to be made
public? I'm asking you.
Spokesman: Thank
you. Michelle, sorry,
Michelle, did you have a
question?" That would be
Reuters. This comes after
Inner City Press covered
Guterres offering "warm
regards" to Egypt's anti-press
Sisi, to whose state media
Akhbar al Yom Guterres and his
Alison Smale are awarding
Inner City Press long time UN
work space. Now Guterres is
trying to select who can cover
his swearing in of new
Political Affairs chief
Rosemary DiCarlo, and his
meeting with Martin Luther
King III. Both were listed as
"photo agency only." Inner
City Press asked Dujarric,
"please explain in tomorrow's
Media Alert the new use of
this phrase: “Photo agencies
only” - why has this been
added? What does it mean? Who
defines it? What is the
reasoning / purpose?" Dujarric
replied, "As for the media
alert, this is for events that
are photo-ops only. We will
have UN photo, UN TV and photo
agencies only. Yes, it’s a new
thing." Inner City Press has
asked Dujarric and his deputy
Farhan Haq: May 8-1: Where is
the definit[ion] of "photo
agencies"? May
8-2: Separately, what is
the purpose of trying to limit
access to usually ill attended
photo ops? May 8-3: Who
decided on this 'new thing'?"
Shortly before the 9:25 am
deadline, Dujarric replied,
"i’m trying to bring a bit
more order and sent to how we
do photo ops. “Photo
agencies” are entities
whose imain purpose is
photo coverage." It's
laughable - as written, it
must also exclude Reuters,
AFP, AP and others. But at the
May 9 noon briefing, these
went for once and Dujarric
made it clear they and others
could still go. So what is the
definition? Inner City Press
is informed that there is now
in preparation of list of
(Dujarric / Guterres) approved
correspondents. But when Inner
City Press asked - since it
publishes photos on Alamy,
more than others said to be on
the list - Dujarric replied
from the podium that Inner
City Press is "self-centered."
This is sleazy, and worse.
We'll have more on this. Inner
City Press has never even
tried to ask a question at a
UN photo op. It's that
Guterres wants to prevent
coverage, for example of his
"warm regards" to Sisi. This
is corrupt. The UN Media Alert
for May 5 listed a “Portuguese
Language Day Celebration;”
when Inner City Press asked
the spokesman for UN Secretary
General Antonio Guterres it
was told there would be remarks
by Guterres, who is
increasingly rarely in New
York. Events in the UN Media
Alert are open to all
journalists - but in today's
UN, rules mean little.
On May 5 UN
Security stopped Inner City
Press saying, No, I know who
you are. Another UN Security
Officer asked, Why don't you
like the UN? Haiti cholera impunity
came to mind, or UN Security
Deputy Chief McNulty throwing
Inner City Press' laptop on
the sidewalk when it was
evicted (audio here)
for covering an event in the
UN Press Briefing Rule - also
ostensibly open to all
journalists.
On My 5
while UN Security was focused
on making it impossible for
Inner City Press to do its
job, they allowed children,
presumably Lusophone, to play
on the UN's slavery memorial,
which its Department of Public
Information took money for
from now convicted UN briber
Ng Lap Seng, even according to
the UN's own audit.
The UN was turned into Antonio
Guterres' Lusophone garden
party. Any number of state
media, like rarely present
Egyptian Akhbar al Yom to
which DPI under Alison Smale
continues to assign Inner City
Press' long time work space
to, could enter and cover the
event without no interaction
much less blocking by UN
Security. (Smale retweeted
Guterres' Portuguese language
self celebration, here
- but could not or would not
assure that the Press could
cover the event, in the Media
Alert, and has not in eight
months responded to 5000
signature petitions
and request for reinstatement
and rules).
The May 5
targeting of Inner City Press
-- "I know who you are" -- is
allowed by downgrading and
keeping down Inner City Press
as "non resident
correspondent," while giving
full resident correspondent
status to no-show state media
like Akhbar al Yom's Sanaa
Youssef who has not asked the
UN a question in more than a
decade. Inner City Press, by
contrast, is required to have
a minder. But the UN is a
place now of targeted
censorship - the cancellation
by the UN Alliance of
Civilizations is just the most
recent example. We'll have
more on this.
***
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