UN Spokesman Nesirky Claims Right to “Lose It” & Go Berserky, Limits & Resents Questions, Rules, "It's My Briefing"

By Matthew Russell Lee
www.innercitypress.com/un2berserky082210.html

UNITED NATIONS, August 22 -- After eight months as UN Spokesperson, Martin Nesirky on August 21 propounded his view of his role. “There are no rules,” he told the Press. “It's my briefing and I can do what I want.”

Inner City Press, increasingly left to the end of the briefing so that no follow up questions are possible, proposed to formalize a rule that each correspondent be allowed to ask a question in a first round, then a second round, and so forth.

“There are no rules,” Nesirky said again. “You dominate that f**king briefing every day of the week. You ask any question you like, as many times as you like. Don't tell me who can or cannot ask questions.”

Each weekday for years now, the UN has held a noon briefing. It is a journalist's job to ask questions, including those that people impacted by the UN would like to ask if they could, and to follow up until an answer is given.

Inner City Press asked why Nesirky was and is so angry about questions being asked, and why he has refused, for example, to answer questions Inner City Press put to him by e-mail two weeks ago.

“I have the right to lose it sometimes,” Nesirky said. The reference appears to have been to a previous Inner City Press story in April 2010 abouti Nesirky blowing up at -- going Berserky on -- other journalists in connection with the Bhutto murder investigation report, after which Nesirky screamed at Inner City Press, “I was a journalist longer than you have been a journalist!”

When met outside of the UN, Nesirky has been perfectly polite, and engaging conversationalist. But Nesirky is the spokesman for Ban Ki-moon and accompanies him on trips, including meetings with leaders like Omar al Bashir of Sudan, Mahinda Rajapaksa of Sri Lanka and Than Shwe of Myanmar.

If Nesirky cannot even keep his cool while speaking with the Press in the basement of UN headquarters, what will he do in meetings with Bashir, Than Shwe or Rajapaksa?

Already under Nesirky, the Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary General has been barred from consultations of the Security Council. Nesirky has claimed that he is working behind the scenes to get restored his office's access, which was the case for years before his arrival. But nothing has been accomplished, and UN correspondents get less and less information.

While some sessions are better than others, Nesirky has several times announced, "only one more question," then refused to say why he called an end to the briefing. A number of long time correspondents have diagnosed Nesirky in a downward spiral and have expressed concern, not only for the UN and news about it, but also for Nesirky himself.

Now, Nesirky has loudly proclaimed that there are no rules, that he feels he can call on or not call on whichever journalists he prefers, and that he resents those who ask questions. Is this appropriate for the UN, a public body? Watch this site.

And see, www.innercitypress.com/un2berserky082210.html

At UN, Spokesman Goes Berserky, from Bhutto Report To Afghan Cover Up

By Matthew Russell Lee
www.innercitypress.com/un1berserky042210.html

UNITED NATIONS, April 22 -- The public face of the UN has been melting down this month. Martin Nesirky in public, at the noon briefing which he runs, has taken to criticizing particular stories, to relegating disfavored journalists to the back of the question cue or seeking to limit question, even on topics like Thailand and Sudan.

But that's only the public part. In a meeting with major wire journalists before the Bhutto Report press conference, Nesirky "melted down" in one participant's phrase and jabbed his finger at a reporter, saying you can't talk to me like that.

Based on these descriptions, a new moniker has been suggested: Berserky.

Nesirky, or Berserky, loudly claimed that Bhutto panel leader Munoz refused to provide his report before the press conference, but this turned out to not be true. There was anger, there was lash out, there was attempted rapprochement. But only to some.

Even some of those favored by Nesirky have wondered at how little he fought the exclusion of his Office from Security Council consultations. Asked in a noon briefing by Inner City Press if there is any update, he said to ask the Council. But Japanese Ambassador Takasu on April 22 told Inner City Press this is mere housekeeping. It appears there is no update: Nesirky is out. Is that what has driven him Beserky?

To some, to began early. The moment he was named to the psot last year, some surmised without rancor that his knowledge of Ban Ki-moon's native tongue Korean had played a role in his selection. As they said on Seinfeld, nothing wrong with that. But Nesirky appeared at a noon briefing at which he took no questions, to deny that language played any role in his selection. This might have been a clue.

Inner City Press for its part can point most recently to the April 21 briefing, when Nesirky descended to using his bully pulpit to unilaterally denounce a "blog" story -- he emphasized the word "blog" several times -- which characterized as a cover up the UN's stealth processing of evidence indicating UN Security officer Louis Maxwell was killed by the Afghan National forces.

The next day, April 22, Nesirky relegated Inner City Press to the last question to UNRWA's John Ging, and sought to take no more questions from Inner City Press, including on Sudan, Thailand and Sri Lanka. There were other questions to be asked, but they will come in the future. With or without Beserky. Watch this site.

Footnote: while Mr. Nesirky appears to doubt it, Inner City Press has no particular animus toward him. In person, he is pleasant. Some say he takes questions too personally. One hope this relationship can be saved.

And see, www.innercitypress.com/un1berserky042210.html