By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, October 14 -- After twice dodging Inner City Press' question about Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's "handlers" pushing a report on October 8, Ban's spokesman Martin Nesirky on October 14 outright denied that the pushing took place.
The Daily News had reported that "when The News' David Yi asked Ban why it was important for the acts to be there, he reports the UN chief turned away and three of his handlers 'pushed' him aside. 'How dare you ask a question like that to the UN secretary general?' said one."
Nesirky told Inner City Press, "that didn’t happen."
But when Inner City Press contacted David Yi, he replied publicly
"@innercitypress What was published is an accurate portrayal of what occurred. I stand by my story."
So whom is one to believe: an organization which twice refused to answer a question about the reported pushing, or the journalist who made and stands by the allegation?
From the UN's October 14 transcript:
Inner City Press: I’ve asked this a couple of times, but it’s been almost a week, so I wanted to know, last Saturday there was an event in the South Korean Mission to the UN on 45th Street, and at least according to the New York Daily News, a reporter tried to ask Mr. Ban a question about Korean pop stars that were in attendance and the reporter says, pushed back by security. Doesn’t say if it’s UN security --
Spokesperson Nesirky: Actually, it doesn’t. Actually…
Inner City Press: What took place?
Spokesperson: Matthew…Let’s get the facts straight. The story does not mention the word security at all. The word it uses is handlers.
Inner City Press: Who were the handlers? That’s…
Spokesperson: So, it’s nothing to do security, and it’s nothing to do, it’s nothing to do with our security colleagues, okay. So, let’s get that absolutely straight.
Inner City Press:Who pushed who?
Spokesperson: So that’s the first point, to get the terminology straight, okay. The second point is that there was no pushing, okay. What I can tell you is that the Secretary-General, at the reception, spoke at some length, for about five minutes, in Korean, because this was a preponderantly Korean event about the importance of Korean popular culture, not just within Korea, but the way that it has had an important impact in other parts of Asia and beyond. So, he spoke at some length about that, and mixed with the various stars that were there from the Korean pop scene. And then he left the reception to head to another event, and did not take questions after that. He’d spoken inside at the reception.
Inner City Press: What about this -- you’ve seen the report, I… I am [inaudible].
Spokesperson: Yes, and I have just answered the question, Matthew.
Inner City Press: Right.
Spokesperson: What’s the next question?
Inner City Press:Yeah, because it doesn’t just say that he didn’t take the question, it says that the handlers pushed the reporter back.
Spokesperson: And I just told you that that didn’t happen.
Inner City Press: Okay. So did you guys write to the Daily News and say it’s false?
Spokesperson: No, Matthew, I’m just telling you, okay?
Inner City Press:Okay.
Spokesperson: Yeah, this is a story that is a very small story, and I think that we just need to move on to the next question.
But then when Inner City Press contacted David Yi, he replied publicly
"@innercitypress What was published is an accurate portrayal of what occurred. I stand by my story."
So again: whom is one to believe: an organization which twice refused to answer a question about the reported pushing, or the journalist who made and stands by the allegation? Watch this site.
