As UN
Squeezes Press
Out, Gives
Space to NYT
Which "Never"
Comes
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
December 27 --
The UN, which
preaches for
rule of law
all over the
world, says
that media
organizations
must come to
its
headquarters
at least three
days a week to
be given
office space
and resident
correspondent
status.
But as
Inner City
Press raised
to the UN on
December 27
during the
UN's meeting
announcing the
layout of
media space in
the
refurbished
headquarters,
the New York
Times has not
used or even
entered its UN
office since
at least
October.
For
more than a
year, the New
York Times has
failed to
comply with
the three days
a week rule.
So why it is
being assigned
its own
office, while
other media
have been told
to leave?
Inner
City Press
prefaced its
question with
"all due
respect;" the
Times is fine
newspaper. But
shouldn't they
want to play
by the rules?
Shouldn't they
have to, at
the UN?
A
check by Inner
City Press on
December 26
found months'
old fliers
sticking out
under the door
of the New
York Times'
office, Room
L-231. A long
time
correspondent
concurred,
"the Times is
never here any
more." UNTV
archived video
bears this
out. Only the
UN, applying a
double
standard it
won't admit
to, is in
denial.
This
obvious double
standard is
emblematic of
the UN. As
regards media
accreditation,
2012 saw an attempt to
"review the
accreditation"
of Inner City
Press, filed
by Voice of
America
which said it
had the support
of Reuters
and Agence
France-Presse.
All three are
members of the
UN
Correspondents
Association's
executive
committee,
which on
December 19 extended
its term in
office, to
continue
unchange, even
nominating its
successors.
Even
after the New
York Civil
Liberties
Union asked
the UN what
rules applied
to
accreditation,
and if Inner
City Press was
being
challenged
based on the
content of its
publications
-- which among
other things
question the
performance of
Herve Ladsous,
the fourth
Frenchman in a
row atop UN
Peacekeeping
-- the UN
never
responded with
a set of
rules.
The
UN, it seems,
is all about
who you know.
How else to
explain some
freelancers
being granted
accreditation,
and others
being kept
outside?
After
its experience
in 2012,
including on December 18 seeing Ladsous'
Peacekeeping
spokesman
attempt to
seize the UN
TV microphone
so that Inner
City Press
could not ask
a question
about UN
inaction on
the Congolese
Army rapes in
Minova, Inner
City Press and
others have
founded the
Free UN
Coalition for
Access, FUNCA.
FUNCA
has so far
raised to the
UN, for
action, the
appropriateness
of Ladsous
seizing the
microphone and
refusing to
answer
questions, the
double
standards in
accreditation
and now in the
assignment of
space, using
the New York
Times as the
example.
In
full
disclosure,
while Inner
City Press for
FUNCA on
December 27
raised cases
of an Egyptian
journalist on
the now-longer
waiting list
for a space,
and a
photographer
forced through
the metal
detectors,
Inner City
Press is
depicted
sharing space
with an Asian
news service,
which is fine.
Advocacy
should be for
those who need
it.
Under this
UNCA's
executive
committee's
watch, media
space at the
UN is being
reduced by
40%. After
this loss,
rather than
look at which
media actually
come to cover
the UN,
favoritism is
the rule. The
UNCA executive
committee
members have
been well
taken care of
(by
themselves).
Voice of
America is
depicted with
its own office
with four
seats, as is
Agence
France-Presse
(which tried
to coax or
coach the UN
into
describing its
criteria as
something
other than
favoritism).
Photographers
and staff of
AFP and
Reuters, no
matter how
infrequently
they come to
the UN, are
given White
passes to
allow them in
without metal
detectors,
while smaller
media who are
denied space
must pass
through metal
detectors and
experience
other barriers
to coverage.
In the floor
plan, there is
not only an
UNCA Club --
there is an
UNCA office,
and even an
UNCA Pantry.
Why would the
UN need to
brand its
kitchenette
with its
company union?
What's going
on here?
There
is not enough
coverage of
the UN -- on
December 24,
Inner City
Press was the
only media
organization
in front of
the General
Assembly
covering its
meeting on the
UN's $5.4
billion
budget. The
answer is to
allow in more
people, and to
treat them
fairly. Watch
this site.
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