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Free
Press Report
of UNESCO
Omits
Countries,
Banned from
Transcript
By Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, July
10 -- At the
UN they
purported to
talk of “World
Trends in
Freedom of
Expression” on
July 9,
launching a
105-page
UNESCO report
on the topic
which didn't
mention
particular
countries or
governments at
all. Click
here to view
the report.
How can
threats to
press freedom
be assessed,
much less
combated, if
one holds back
from naming
countries?
But
this is how
much of the UN
operates. Its
in-house UN
Correspondents
Association,
UNCA, promoted
the UNESCO
event without
criticizing or
even noting
the lack of
country-specific
information.
This was also
true of most
but not all of
UNESCO's
panelists who
praised the
report.
The new
Free UN
Coalition for
Access, on the
other hand,
notes as none
of UNESCO's
panelists did
that the head
of UNESCO
Irina Bokova
is campaigning
to replace Ban
Ki-moon as
Secretary
General, on
the theory
that it is the
Eastern
European
Group's turn
to hold the
post (she is
from Bulgaria;
Helen Clark of
UNDP is also
among the
candidates,
some New
Zealand
reporting
here).
Of
course if
you're running
for UN
Secretary
General, it's
convenient to
omit criticism
of any
countries or
voters in a
report on
press freedom.
But is it
credible?
* * *
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are
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