By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, September 5 -- Here's how it works at the UN: with the US, France and Saudi Arabia pitching missiles strikes on Syria, Ambassador Samantha Power on Thursday took questions only from CBS, Reuters and Saudi supported Al Arabiya.
Inner City Press wrote about this pattern, and hours later a counterfeit social media account pretending to be Inner City Press was set up. Five hours after that, an account associated with the UN Correspondents Association started again trolling Inner City Press, directing its messages at, who else, Ambassador Power, CBS and Reuters. It is too obvious.
And so after for months asking the UN's Department of Public Information, which partners with UNCA, to act on this anonymous trolling and counterfeiting, after facing nothing but threats of suspension or withdrawal of accreditation for setting up an alternative press freedom group, the Free UN Coalition for Access, it's time to expose this UN Censorship Alliance.
Let's start with Reuters. Today its UN reporter Michelle Nichols is in Paris, partying with French diplomat and former French Mission spokesman Brieuc Pont. Nichols' boss Lou Charbonneau says he wishes he was there.
Charbonneau has spied for the UN against Inner City Press, giving UN accreditation official Stephane Dujarric an anti-Press internal UNCA document three minutes after promising not to do so. Story here, audio here, document here.
Inner City Press, and the Free UN Coalition for Access which it co-founded, have tried to take the high road, fighting for better work conditions at the UN Security Council stakeout and access to the General Assembly.
UNCA Executive Committee members (list here) have responded with anonymous social media trolling, attempts to block questions, intimidation of younger journalists who signed a FUNCA petition. It is a Mafia, but the reason we write about it is it has an effect: it is a political Mafia. We will have more, much more, on this. Watch the 'Net and this site.
