By Matthew Russell Lee, Social Media Watch
UNITED NATIONS, April 12 -- Why would the German Mission to the UN allow a parallel counterfeit Twitter account with its same name and icon? Or is it not a counterfeit but an alter-ego?
Inner City Press happened on the account, which we'll call German #2, because it is one of the few followers of an anonymous troll account attacking the Free UN Coalition for Access and Inner City Press which co-founded it.
This account, linked in timing and other ways to Reuters and the UN Correspondents Association, reaches out to many UN missions, as well as UNCA-affiliated scribes.
But what of German #2? Why would it follow a anonymous troll account? It, in term, is followed by Tim Witcher of Agence France Presse, an UNCA “leader” who has now twice complained about how Inner City Press covers Herve Ladsous. It is followed by a Human Rights Watch official, and the foreign minister of Kosovo.
So it seemed fair to ask the German Mission to the UN, “it sure seems it does, but I wanted to ask you: does it have any affiliation with the German government?”
This should be an easy question to answer: is this your account or not? But a full ten days has been asked to answer it. We'll wait, sure. But in the interim, this.
Meanwhile Witcher, who complained to UN Security on March 8, 2013 about how Inner City Press asked a question to “his” Ladsous, was last seen on Twitter sending this to the head of the ICC state parties: “DM@TIntelmann OK many thanks. I will be in touch. Next month's anniversary of ICTY is interesting even though not ICC - Tim."
Then this was deleted. But UNCA's troll accounts stay up, and active.
Witcher has been seen tearing down FUNCA fliers, sure. But for the anonymous corporate trolling, six accounts so far, one trail leads straight to Reuters, which so far has not responded. Note to corporate trolls: social media is a two way street. Watch this site.
