Spokesman: We don't do live broadcasts from the thirty-eighth floor, so we were asking you not to Periscope.
Inner City Press: I'll ask you in context. There was a speech given at NYU [New York University] Abu Dhabi over the weekend. There's a reason for this. I'm going to ask as a free speech thing. John Kerry gave a commencement speech. And AP [Associated Press] has said that it was wrong for… for NYU Abu Dhabi to tell them that they could not livestream it even though NYU UAE [United Arab Emirates] was filming it. What's the reason…?
Spokesman: Look, I don't… I have no link with Mr. Kerry, with Mr.… Abu Dhabi or NYU. Every organization makes its own rules, and I'm… we're asking you not to live… livestream or Periscope from upstairs… Mr. Varma.
Inner City Press: Does that mean there will be no editing of the UNTV videos?
Spokesman: There is no editing of the UNTV." Only of the transcript? In the United Arab Emirates, NYU Abu Dhabi banned Associated Press from filming a commencement speech by former US Secretary of State John Kerry. AP wrote about it, linking it to the possibility that Kerry would praise the JCPOA Iran Deal that the UAE opposes, even as NYU Abu Dhabi argued that it would provide AP with video of the speech over which NYU Abu Dhabi would have editorial control. This was viewed, properly, as a form of censorship. It is exactly what the UN is doing. Back on May 11, Guterres met Finland's Foreign Minister Timo Soini, and Inner City Press went up intending to photograph (Alamy photos here) and stream Periscope video as it had with Iceland's President in the morning. But once in Guterres' conference room, two UN Security officers told Inner City Press it could not Periscope. "But I did this morning," Inner City Press replied. "That because there were remarks," one of the officers said. No more that in this Finnish one: Guterres' small talk, of the type his predecessor Ban Ki-moon routinely allowed to be recorded and even used to praise his visitor. Was this because Inner City Press Periscoped Guterres telling Egypt's Ambassador to convey his "warm regards" to Sisi? Wasn't that newsworthy? The other UN Security officer declined to explain - UNTV was shooting video, but would apparently be counted on to censor anything embarrassing. "This is on the order of the speechwriter," one of the UN Security officers said. But who is the speechwriter? It is certainly not spokesman Stephane Dujarric, who tried earlier in the week to entirely ban Inner City Press from photo ops, saying they were only for photo agencies (clarified to be, those who do not write). So is it the writing that is the problem? Periscope or not, those present hear what is said. On May 21, ten days after Guterres banned Periscope then went on the road, he will accept credentials from several new Ambassadors to the UN. Will he again try to prohibit independent livestream coverage? Do the countries agree? On May 21 he will accept credentials from, and engage in back and forth with, H.E. Mrs. Maria de Jesus dos Reis Ferreira, Permanent Representative, Republic of Angola
H.E. Mr. Vitavas Srivihok, PR, Kingdom of Thailand
H.E. Mr. Satyendra Prasad, PR, Republic of Fiji
H.E. Mr. Lazarus Ombai Amayo, PR, Republic of Kenya
H.E. Mrs. Milica Pejanovic Ðurišic, PR, Montenegro
H.E. Mr. Milenko E. Skoknic Tapia, PR, Republic of Chile. Watch this site. Earlier on May 11 Guterres met Iceland's President Gudni Th. Johannesson and First Lady Eliza Reid and Inner City Press openly Periscoped; other than in-house UNTV and UN Photo, Inner City Press was the only media there. Alamy photo, Periscope. This came two days after Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric had Inner City Press blocked from covering Guterres' meeting with Al Sharpton while allow another media to cover. Dujarric said he was trying to bring "order" by excluding any photographer who also writes articles like this one. That is clearly censorship, but the decision was not revoked; Dujarric called Inner City Press "self-centered" for questioning it. Video here. We'll have more on this - and on Finland, where Gudni Th. Johannesson will visit on May 15, when Guterres will also again be in Europe. In other news, Eliza Reid recent presented the Icelandic crime writing award to Eva Björg Ægisdóttir. Guterres' UN is ripe for crime writing, what with the still unacted on UN bribery by Patrick Ho's China Energy Fund Committee, still in special consultative status with UN ECOSOC. Watch this site. Guterres disclosed the existence of a meeting with Martin Luther King III and Kweku Mandela at 3:30 pm on May 9 - but Inner City Press was not allowed as before to go up to the UN's 38th floor and photograph it. It was told that since it also files written reports, it is not a photo agency. This is the new censorship system of Guterres and his spokesman Stephane Dujarric. So Inner City Press waited as it its right in the lobby, until Martin Luther King II came down - with Al Sharpton. Photo here. Inner City Press asked the two what they discussed with Guterres and was told it is still premature to announce it. Periscope video from here. Tellingly, there was no UNTV camera there, and a lone non-UN paid photographer. Whether he writes, as Inner City Press is accused of, is not known, including to the UN. Another attendee told Inner City Press Guterres was rude and dismissive to some of the attendees, including it seems Kweku Mandela, not shaking his hand - we can't dispute, as we weren't there by the Guterres / Dujarric "rules." On May 10 Inner City Press asked Dujarric about it. He said he didn't know Sharpton had been there, and stonewalled on the censorship "rule" he had put forward. Video here. From the UN's May 10 transcript: Inner City Press: Yesterday, there was a photo op at 3:30. I tried to go. I wasn't allowed to go. Another photographer did go up, but I did learn that, while it was listed that Martin Luther King III would be there, I didn't learn, except by standing in the lobby at the end of the meeting, that Al Sharpton was also at the meeting.
And, when he came down, he said that something is in the works with the UN, but it's too early to confirm it. So, I want… one, I also have to say I don't understand the logic of John… my colleague John, the photographer, going up and me being disallowed. But, two, if you're going to pick and choose who can go to photo ops, can you provide an updated media alert if, in fact, someone like Al Sharpton did attend or someone of the prominence of Al Sharpton did attend the meeting…
Spokesman: I have to tell…
Inner City Press: …and do you have a readout…
Spokesman: I will be fully transparent and let you know that I had no idea Al Sharpton was going to attend.
Inner City Press: So, why can't you just let people go to the photo ops to find for themselves…
Spokesman: "We've had… we've had this colourful debate yesterday."
Inner City Press will always debate and oppose censorship. Earlier on May 9 Guterres swore in Rosemary DiCarlo as his head of Political Affairs on May 9 and only "photo agencies" were permitted to cover it. Inner City Press, which arrived more than 30 minutes early, was excluded. Inner City Press previously published a story on DiCarlo's history as the Deputy to Susan Rice and Samantha Power - the swearing in was newsworthy. It asked Guterres' Spokesman Stephane Dujarric why it was being excluded, and what "photo agencies" area. Dujarric replied, "i’m trying to bring a bit more order and sent to how we do photo ops. 'Photo agencies' are entities whose imain purpose is photo coverage." Inner City Press noted this must also exclude Reuters, AP and AFP: their main purpose as entities is not photo coverage. But Inner City Press is informed that already a list of Guterres approved coverers is being prepared. The UN under Guterres has hit a new low. We'll have more on this. Back on April 26, before Guterres' ramped up censorship, he met Cote d'Ivoire Foreign Minister Marcel Amon-Tanoh, and as the two walked down the hall toward Guterres' conference room, Inner City Press was ordered not to take the normal hallway photo. Then Guterres after a perfuctory handshake beckoned Amon-Tanoh into his office, a so called tete a tete. The purpose, as with so much Guterres does, wasn't clear.
