Rouhani Presser by UN Has Nuclear Accusations, Nothing on Rights or Press Freedom like Ban Ki-moon's UN

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, September 27 -- No one can say that Iranian president Hassan Rouhani's Friday press conference was too short -- it ran for an hour. It could have been better organized: no one said, at least from the 11 am start time on, that journalists had to sign up to be considered for a question.

But of the questions taken, not a single one concerned or even mentioned human rights, or press freedom in Iran. It was nukes, nukes, nukes. Margaret Warner of PBS quoted Rouhani from the past about continuing to develop in Isfahan; Margaret Brennan of CBS asked about opening facilities up to "put these doubts to rest."

A reporter from Al Mayadeen in Beirut, on the other hand, asked about Iran being sure to continue its support to "resistance in the region," using Hezbollah as his example.

Rouhani's answers several times emphasized: Al Qaeda must leave Syria. He also called the Taliban's views on women outdated. He said he'd brought with him to New York for these four days a representative from Shiraz and one "on behalf of the minority Jewish community of Iran." He said the tone of Obama's speech sounded different, that he wanted the media to be messengers.

One wanted to ask: what about journalists in jail? What about the Iranian Journalists Association? (Rouhani has said such guilds should be able to exist - but what's been done.)

Inner City Press ran back to the UN to get to the day's noon briefing. The read-out of Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's meeting with Rouhini said Ban "raised various human rights issues." Inner City Press asked Ban's spokesperson Martin Nesirky, what issues? Press freedom?

Nesirky said Ban noted the release of human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh and urged Rouhani to continue in that way. Apparently nothing on press freedom. Typical of the UN. Watch this site.

    

On Syria, Obama's Six and Assad's Charlie Rose Interviews Teased as in Sweeps Week, Social Media War

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, September 9 -- On Syria on Sunday morning, CBS breathlessly announced that Charlie Rose had interviewed Bashar al Assad. But they wouldn't show any of it until Monday morning.

  At 7 am Monday, there is was: Assad asking Rose to tell Obama and Kerry to show their evidence to the public.

  Rose replied, as in elementary school, You don't show your evidence.

  But who's the one who said he'd make a public case? CBS flashed to a current opinion poll for bombing Syria. Can the number by brought up, Sweeps Weeks style, for a vote in the House of Representatives next week?

(Nor does Charlie show his interview: Monday morning was only an excerpt, the rest withheld until Monday night on PBS and, it seems, Bloomberg Television.)

  Predictably, Assad brought up Colin Powell's evidence-show to the Security Council before the US went into Iraq. Powell has written that he regrets that, but can't do anything now. Who in today's Sweeps Week may feel that way later?

  CBS showed a clip of John Kerry in the UK citing social media -- verified by "technology," of course -- as proving who used chemical weapons.

From the UN, after @InnerCityPress was named one of two"Twitterati 100" covering the UN by Foreign Policy magazine, and after InnerCityPress.com ran articles questioning how the US is doling out information and questions to those on the UN Correspondents Association Executive Committee who sponsored a faux "UN briefing" by Saudi sponsored Syria rebel boss Jarba, those insiders launched two counterfeit social media accounts.

  The goal is confusion - they've followed diplomats, reporters and others, including a Western "humanitarian" NGO communications chief who has retweeted obviously counterfeit messages, knowingly or unknowingly -- and to undermine Inner City Press and questions being asked. But questions and reporting will continue. Watch this site.

   

On Syria, US Denis McDonough Says Vote Is Really on Iran, Assad Interview Teased for PBS, Media Games

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, September 8 -- Selling a military strike on Syria, US official Denis McDonough hit the Sunday talk shows. On CBS's Face the Nation he said that those who've seen the American evidence are convinced.

  That's not the case at the UN. As Inner City Press reported late last week, responses from those who'd gone to the US Mission to see the evidence included "not convinced" to "the same as shown in the capital." 

 A European country, in the meeting with those who asked the UN to probe the August 21 incident, grilled the US. Does McDonough know this? Or think that the public doesn't?

  On ABC's show This Week, McDonough said he's "outraged" at the suggestion that the US would be operating as Al Qaeda's air force. Is it outrageous to suggest that a strike might help the armed opposition, including Al Qaeda?

  On Face the Nation, McDonough announced that this vote is really a vote on Iran. Really?

  Drama occurred on Face the Nation, when Bob Schieffer put Charlie Rose on to say he'd had an interview with Bashar al Assad, but wouldn't show it until Monday night on PBS. Rose said Assad referred to Aleppo. But what did he say? Commercial tease (for an ostensibly non-commercial network) in the run up to war?

  Schieffer delivered his view, that strikes should go forward because the US said they would. Oh. Then he said, Some of our stations are leaving us now. Some of your viewers, too.

  From the UN, after @InnerCityPress was named one of two "Twitterati 100" covering the UN by Foreign Policy magazine, and after InnerCityPress.com ran articles questioning how the US is doling out information and questions to those on the UNCA Executive Committee whosponsored a faux "UN briefing" by Saudi sponsored Syria rebel boss Jarba, those insiders launched two counterfeit social media accounts. 

  This hostility was noticed, overseas and in Washington.

 The goal is confusion - they've followed diplomats, reporters and others -- and to undermine Inner City Press and questions being asked. But questions and reporting will continue. Watch this site.