At UN, Blackout of Internet & UNTV Challenged by the Free UN Coalition for Access, FUNCA Background

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, May 12 -- The UN says it wants journalists to cover its activities and meetings, but its provision on Internet services and EZTV feeds of its meetings have been in decay for months.

  On May 12 Inner City Press on behalf of the Free UN Coalition for Access filed a complaint with the UN's Office of Information and Communications Technology about the lack of wi-fi at the stakeout in front of the UN Security Council, which made it impossible to do journalistic work at the stakeout.

  OICT's response was to ask for Inner City Press' UN identification card index number, and what "room number" the Security Council and its stakeout are. FUNCA has repeated complained, for example in April and July 2013, to OICT about the difficulty of reporting from the Security Council stakeout.

  This was previously problematized by a rule proposed by the UN and itsUN Censorship Alliance, f/k/a UN Correspondents Association, that the area in front of the Security Council should not be used as work space (there are now no electrical outlets except for UNTV, and no work table), or used at all when there is no formal Council meeting. This ignores, for example, bilateral meetings by the US Security Council president.

 At the May 12 noon briefing many correspondents complained to UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, including about ongoing problems with EZTV. Among the complainants was the president of UNCA, downplaying the Security Council stakeout problems. The offices upstairs have hard-wired internet, but the Security Council stakeout does not. 

  Note: with UNCA through Pamela Falk trying to brand every UN press conference and even UN Security Council presidency with the name UNCA, it was perhaps not surprising that her UNCA bought Twitter followers, jumping from over 300 to over 800 followers. 

  That UNCA's middle 500 followers had few to no connections to the UN, journalism or international affairs and little profile information except some pornographic come-ons was noted in an article on the evening of May 9, here.

  And by May 10, the UNCA account had suddenly fallen from over 800 followers back down below 300. Call it guilty knowledge -- or cover up, as Falk's UNCA did once exposed for lining up for a free Samsung television through the UN and the South Korean mission. Once exposed, it was canceled - and Falk's UNCA demanded a "correction." And now? Who paid for this? And, now: was UN wi-fi used?

   On May 1, Falk felt comfortable trying to dictate how and who UN Television filmed on World Press Freedom Day.  

  According to multiple sources, Pamela Falk of CBS complained to the top of the Department of Public Information that UNTV dared cut away to a shot of a skeptic during her speech claiming UNCA protects journalists.Video here on Inner City Press' YouTube channel (on full video on UN website, here, from Minute 30).

  Now that the video and the UNCA attempt to censor that it spawned are known, other critics have come forward. This doesn't represent us, said one. Another brought up the surge in Falk's UNCA twitter accounts low number of followers, pointing out hundreds in a row with little identifying information, some with pornographic profiles, concluding, "they're bought followers."

  Now, even after the reversal or cover-up, the question of precisely how this happened remains, and new questions need answering.

  These included "EXTREMELY DOMINANT BBW," "Nudist * Foreskin lover #BBBH" and "the finest of erotic events and vacations" as well as being padded by executives and stringers for Falk's CBS, like Sharon Hoffman, Nick Barnets and Luke Fredberg. 

  These and hundreds of other followers bought by UNCA were removed between May 9 and May 10.

  The month started when UNCA's 2013-14 president Pam Falk grandiosely attempted to launch a Twitter hashtag promoting the group. An UNCA member, rather than obediently tweeting the contrived tag, noted online that when Falk claimed the "GA commends UNCA every year," UNTV camera cuts to @innercitypress shaking head in disbelief, too funny.”

 (The UNTV video, which we went back and found for the reasons below is online here, from Minute 30.)

  As we first diplomatically recorded, the UNTV control room got a complaint about their camera angles. This is called attempted censorship, as is this Digital Millennium Copyright Act filing with Google, here.

  Now we can report based on multiple sources that Falk herself complained to the top of DPI - and that this complaint, rather than being as it should have been laughed at and rejected, was passed on to the control room, trying to dictate even what the camera operators film as cut-aways. 

  This is outright censorship: the UN's Censorship Alliance's reverse flow.

  In 2012, some on UNCA's Executive Board tried to pursue the investigative Press for its coverage of UN official Herve Ladsous and also separately of France's ambassador Gerard Araud, then moved forexpulsion based on coverage of Sri Lanka. Now, UNCA's president demands that the UN itself change how it films, to censor opposition.

  Out in the real world, the UN Secretariat had no comment on Ethiopia's jailing of journalists including the Zone 9 Bloggers, when asked about it by the new Free UN Coalition for Access. As we covered on May 8, the UN has yet to speak on Yemen's deportation of one of the few (but more than two) non-Yemeni journalists working in the country. The next story is Myanmar - watch this site.

   

UN Deaf, Dumb & Blind, Security Council 2 Days With No Wi-Fi

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, April 4 -- The UN claims it wants to help journalists report on its work. Forgetting for a moment their willingness to conduct raids on media offices, leading to the anonymous leaking of raid photographs, even on the most humdrum basics the UN under-performs.

  On April 3 while Inner City Press covered the UN Security Council, the UN's wireless Internet became weak and then stopped working all together. 

  After a complaint to the Department of Public Information's Media Accreditation and Liaison unit, it was said that the Office of Information and Community Technology would fix it.

But on April 4, while Inner City Press covered the Council's session on Yemen, again there was no wi-fi. This time, for obvious reasons, Inner City Press bypassed the non-responsive and complained to OICT as the Free UN Coalition for Access.

(FUNCA's twelve and counting most needed reforms submitted to DPI as far back as February 10 have yet to be implemented by DPI; are even simple things at the UN un-reformable?)

OICT responded in writing: “We are aware of the wi-fi issue happening today. Yesturday [sic] it started in the early afternoon and we had it resovled [sic] shortly after. Today it started around 10:30 and we are working to resolve it.”

FUNCA replied that “it seems obvious that since the problem persists today, it wasn't really resolved or fixed yesterday. Can you state what the problem is, that OICT is trying to fix? Thank you.”

There was a response, but no answer: “The network team is handling the issue and the Helpdesk is not aware on the actual issue at hand.”

Things happen. This is the Security Council, two days in a row. Who's in charge here?

Footnote: As Inner City Press has asked, again without answer, there has been no chief of OICT since mid 2012. 

The Group of 77 has complained in the Budget Committee about the failure to fill the post -- Inner City Press reported that after the UN's failure during Hurricane Sandy, even to send an e-mail to member states, a more “political” OICT chief was sought. But it remains unfilled, and the UN lurches on. Watch this site.

After Hurricane Sandy, UN Left Staff In Water-Logged Chairs in Basement, No Printers, While Raiding Press Office Overground

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, April 1 -- In a sign of UN management's dysfunction, and staff resiliency, after Hurricane Sandy work continued without proper ventilation or even chairs in the UN's third sub basement (3B) by the Logistics Unit of the Office of Information and Communications Technology.

  As recounted by staff in e-mails exclusively obtained by Inner City Press, OICT higher-up did not provide them with toner or a printer, but told them to return to water-logged chairs in 3B.

  After the UN's insurance company seized damaged goods to assess the UN's claims, the Logistics Unit organized its own fundraiser for such basics as chairs and toner.

  Meanwhile from the floor of a Staff Union meeting, above ground, a resolution expressing “no confidence” in Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was passed. Ban now is in San Marino then Andorra, then finally to a meeting of the UN system's Chief Executives Board.

While the gap between these high-fliers and the staff doing their own fundraisers to continue to do the UN's work, water-logged and underground, be discussed there?

  There is a final sub-irony: while the UN as a post-hoc pretext for its March 18 raid on Inner City Press' office used the concept of safety, and allowed the taking of photographs which were then given to BuzzFeed and published on March 22, it was on the same March 18 that the e-mail below was sent out.

One difference: while the UN allowed the taking and then anonymous distribution to BuzzFeed of photographs of Inner City Press' office, desk and bookshelf -- and has refused to say who it let in, and who distributed -- Inner City Press is NOT here publishing the damning 3B photographs.

But here is the e-mail:

Subject: Fund Raiser for Logistics Unit
Date: 18/03/2013 12:02 PM

Dear All! Welcome to our first fund raiser for the Logistics Unit!!

When Sandy hit at the end of October 2012 we lost all of our desks, working tables, shelves, supplies, tools, power, air, LAN, etc., etc. Well, you get the idea...

However, we had to stay and do our work since it was SOOOOO IMPORTANT that all the losses be properly recorded lest the Organization not get reimbursed by the evil insurance companies, bla bla bla.

So, our job was done to the complete satisfaction of all concerned; in fact, we were asked for far more than what we were responsible for because, and I quote, "...You can be trusted to do things right... ...You guys care... You know what you are doing...", and other such BS.

Meanwhile, we got tired of the lack of power and air and phones so we managed to get space in a copier room in 2B. Of course, being a copier room, it was small, had no air and was/is used by many to print their documents. So we had to go back to 3B.

In the last 4 weeks; however, and through the help of individuals, (very few), in a private capacity, the Logistics Unit room in 3B has reached several milestones:

1. The air conditioning sausage has been extended so now we actually have air inside the room. Imagine that.

2. We have ONE electrical circuit, (15 amps I was told), that is used to power everything. We have daily contests to see what we will power that particular day without blowing out the fuse.

3. We have LAN and telephones!!! Woohoo!!!

4. We have 4 small tables that we use as desks and had, until last Friday, chairs to sit on.

BUT THOSE CHAIRS ARE GONE!!! They have been taken by the evil insurance companies!! (No kidding).

Before you ask, yes, we did request, (through the proper channels and procedures), 4 USED desks, 6 USED chairs and 6 USED work tables so that we could actually work like human beings; however, FMS said NO. Why? I'm glad you asked. Apparently it has something to do with us, (Logistics), not having a "Project Manager", (whatever THAT is), and/or no one wanting to be liable if we get sick or who knows...

Bottom line: NO CHAIRS. Oh, yes, the same people that took our chairs gave us a set that is in even worse condition than the stuff they took. I dare any of you to sit on them day in and day out.

Which is why we are having this fund raiser. Wait you say! Why not ask OICT?? Well, maybe because we asked for toner, (really, toner, for the loaner printers), 4 weeks ago and we are still waiting. We requested for our use a Managed Printer, (or whatever that nonsense is called), 2 weeks ago and we are still waiting. So what did we do? One of our guys found a discarded scanner; brought it back to life, connected it to "our" LAN and to a little network printer and voila! We now have a scanner and a network printer.

So, if you find it in your heart please contribute generously so we can go to the nearest Salvation Army thrift shop and get what we need.

Incidentally, the attached photos are real...

See above. And, watch this site.

At UN, Bed Bug Finds Are More Extensive, From 1st, 2nd & 15th floors to 2d Basement

By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive

UNITED NATIONS, October 27 -- The UN's bed bug problem is more extensive than thus far admitted by the UN Spokesperson's Office, Inner City Press learned late Wednesday afternoon.

Acting on a second tip from well place UN staff, Inner City Press asked Andrew Nye of the UN's Facility Management Service to confirm that bed bugs were found not only in the Capital Master Plan office (exclusively reported by Inner City Press on October 25) and furniture from the 19th and 20th floors, but also in the Office of Information and Communications Technology facility in the basement.

Mr. Nye immediately acknowledged that bed bugs were found in the OICT “second basement level.” Since this went beyond Spokesperson Martin Nesirky's incremental admissions of October 26 and 27, Inner City Press asked Nye if there had in fact been other finds, contrary to Nesirky's earlier statement that beyond the CMP, there were no other bed bug incidents to report. Video here.

Mr. Nye then said that bed bugs had been found in the “first, second and fifteen floors,” and that the UN will be meeting with the vice president of its anti bed bug contractor on October 28 to reconsider its strategy in light of the expanding problem.

Earlier, after Nesirky had said there were no more bed bug incidents to report, Inner City Press asked him about the OICT find. It is unclear why Nesirky was given at the October 27 noon briefing a two paragraph statement acknowledging only the CMP and 19 - 20th floor find, but not the OICT or first, second and 15th floor finds which were already known.

What else has yet to be disclosed? Watch this site.