By Matthew Russell Lee
UNdisclosed Location, March 23 -- For one reporter to send a legal threat to another for a published story may be considered strange.
But when the threat is entirely frivolous, and seems intended only to discourage further reporting, the threat itself should be reported on.
Pamela Falk covers the UN for CBS News; this year without any competition she took over the presidency of the UN Correspondents Association, a group which theGuardian UK and others showed in 2012 involved in trying to throw out the investigative Press.
Things have gotten worse under Falk, with UNCA leaders setting up anonymous social media accounts to try to undermine Inner City Press and the new Free UN Coalition for Access, defacing FUNCA flyers, and filing complaints with UN Security based entirely on speech.
Falk herself on February 22 screamed at Inner City Press not to use her name in any reporting or questions, and that contacting media organization including CBS to ask of their policies “might constitute a crime.”
Then on March 18, when the UN conducted a search of Inner City Press' office without notice or consent, Falk was seen taking photographs.
Inner City Press asked at the March 19 noon briefing about the “UNCA President” -- not using her name, as she requested -- taking photographs of the raid. But no answer came, from the UN or Falk.
On March 22 an article appeared in BuzzFeed about the raid, with three photographs depicting what the UN called “garbage” in Inner City Press' office.
In the BuzzFeed article it was noted that Falk, the president of UNCA, “declined to comment.” Inner City Press wrote a follow up on the BuzzFeed story, again asking about Falk's photographing on March 18.
On Saturday March 23, Falk sent Inner City Press a “cease and desist” notice:
From: Falk, Pamela @cbsnews.com
Date: Sat, Mar 23, 2013 at 2:28 PM
Subject: Inner City Press
To: Matthew.Lee [at] innercitypress.com
Cc: "Falk, Pamela" @cbsnews.com
Date: Sat, Mar 23, 2013 at 2:28 PM
Subject: Inner City Press
To: Matthew.Lee [at] innercitypress.com
Cc: "Falk, Pamela" @cbsnews.com
Dear Mr. Lee:
On March 22, you published the following statement, referring to me:
“Why did she take, and presumptively give to BuzzFeed, photographs from inside Inner City Press' office?”
I did not give photographs to BuzzFeed or to anyone else, and I did not take the photographs that BuzzFeed published.
Please cease and desist from publishing statements which are either inaccurate or cast my actions in a false light.
Pamela Falk
While we continue and will continue to ask about the role of Falk's UNCA and the UN in taking and distributing the photographs, including to BuzzFeed, and whether CBS News signed off on this cease and desist letter about another media's reporting, the legal threat is bogus.
Here's what came before and after what Falk quoted:
"While reporters from among others Al Jazeera and Tim Witcher of Agence France Presse walked right by as the raid took place, one stopped and took photographs: Pamela Falk of CBS News.
"Why did she take, and presumptively give to BuzzFeed, photographs from inside Inner City Press' office? She is the president of the UN Correspondents Association, which in 2012 tried to get Inner City Press thrown out of the UN.
"If Falk, who Inner City Press witnessed taking pictures, is not the one who gave them to BuzzFeed, then the photos were taken by the UN and given to the anonymous 'Concerned UN Reporter' who did."
How could it be legal actionable to ask -- ask! -- if Falk who was seen taking photographs might have been involved in passing photographs to BuzzFeed?
Why would CBS, or a CBS reporter, make a legal argument that would cast a legal pall over the most basic of news analysis or rumination in the media? You can't ask questions?
Falk appears to be going off the deep end, at least in terms of anti free press, pro corporate and anti free inquiry legal arguments. At the on the record February 22 meeting she screamed, just use my name! Audio here.
To be charitable, perhaps she should not have taken the UNCA post, if seeing her name in print, even as part of a question, is so painful to her.
But it's time to answer: why DID she take photographs of the raid of Inner City Press' office on March 18? And have CBS and CBS News signed off on, or will take action on, the March 23 bogus legal threat about a question asked in an article?
Since Falk says it “might be a crime” to contact CBS, we for now do this as an open letter, using the two batches of names gleaned: Falk appeared on CBS Up To The Minute, which is directed by James McGrath and Chris Easley. Its executive producer is Brian Applegate; its many producers include Joseph Gelosi, Norman Gittleson, Tony DiPolvere, Anlynn Truong, Jenn Eaker and Erin Petrun.
Then a reader wrote in: “Falk reports to the CBS foreign desk not Up to the Minute... Jeff Fager is the president of CBS News....Leslie Moonves is President and co-CEO Sumner Redstone is Chairman and co-CEO...the Dept you want CBS standards and practices... also Falk's official title is CBS News foreign affairs consultant.....she is not a staff correspondent...one would think that she got approval from somebody in Fager's office before she ran for UNCA office, likely Pamela Mason Exec VP just retired.”
So: why did CBS' Pam Falk take photographs of the raid of Inner City Press' office on March 18? And have CBS and CBS News signed off on, or will take action on, the March 23 bogus legal threat about a question asked in an article? Watch this site.
