On Syria, UN Doesn't Live Broadcast Brahimi, Won't Answer Why, Collusion and, Soon, Skeleton Crew

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, June 25, updated -- There had been talk of having the “Geneva Two” talks on Syria in June. But on Tuesday morning in Geneva, before a stakeout packed with reporters, UN and Arab League Joint Special Representative Lakhdar Brahimi said, “I doubt whether the conference will take place in July.”

  This was newsworthy, but search as one might from New York, Brahimi's stakeout was not on the UN live webcast. This is the type of issue worked on by the Free UN Coalition for Access, so @FUNCA_info put the question to the UN in Geneva and a UN spokesperson there, Jens Laerke.

  The UN in Geneva replied to @FUNCA_info that “this short press briefing wasn't webcast but we have published a transcript: http://ow.ly/mmAL0.”

FUNCA quickly thanked the UN in Geneva and added, “would like to know how / who decides what's webcast.”

  A reply came not from Geneva, but New York-based Stephane Dujarric, who has previously defended the turning off of the UN Webcast just as Syria Permanent Representative Bashar Ja'afari began to speak, and theblacking out of a speech by Palestine's negotiation Saib Erekat.

  Dujarric wrote to FUNCA (and Inner City Press) that “Actually the Syria Brahimi presser IS available the UN webcast page.”

  Archived video was put online after the stakeout was over. (In the case of Erekat, the blacked out video eventually went up; not so in the case of Ja'afari.) @FUNCA_info replied and asked Dujarric, “It wasn't live on the page: point of webcast. Why not?”

  But as of publication, there has been no answer. Search Dujarric's feed to see if it was somehow answered there, one finds banter with Margaret Besheer of Voice of America, which previously conversed with Dujarric trying to get Inner City Press UN accreditation “reviewed.”

Yesterday, faced with a threat from Dujarric's office to suspend or withdraw Inner City Press' accreditation for merely hanging a Free UN Coalition for Access / FUNCA sign on its office door, Inner City Press published a document showing that the first vice president of the old UNCA, Reuters' Louis Charbonneau, sent Dujarric an internal UNCA document three minutes after it was produced.

 Here is the article, including audio.

  Troublingly, Dujarric accepted it on a non-UN email address steph [at] dujarric.com. Is Dujarric an UNCA member? Does UNCA or at least its first vice presidence do intelligence work for the UN? After this improper collusion, what to make of a DPI-UNCA rule being cited to censor or expel Inner City Press for a mere FUNCA sign? Watch this site.

Footnote (and update): Things threaten to get worse, including on the webcasting front, at UN headquarters in New York. The UN gave the audio visual contract to “TeamPeople,” which has told existing workers they will be laid off this Friday and a “skeleton crew” kept through August. Does that mean Brahimi has told them Geneva Two won't happen in August, either?

Update: after publication, Dujarric replied to @FUNCA_info and Inner City Press, "In as much as we wud like to cover everything live all the time, we just cant. #patience." But why has the audio visual contract been given to a union buster who will go to an even more skeleton crew? 

At UN, Ban Ki-moon's Office Agreed to End Security Council Media Workspace, Stonewalls on UNCA Defacement, Surveillance of Press

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, May 24 -- Ban Ki-moon's office has signed off on the elimination of media workspace in front of the Security Council, Ban's deputy spokesperson Eduardo Del Buey told Inner City Press on Friday. Video here, from Minute 14:41.

  Before the Security Council was temporarily relocated to the basement during a $2 billion renovation, the UN press corps had a table in front of the Council on which work could be done, while waiting to speak with ambassadors and sources.

  This table was maintained in front of the interim Security Council. But now such a table and method of work is being banned by a UN Media Access Guideline listing as parties the Department of Public Information, the Department of Safety and Security, the old UN Correspondents Association and the Office of the Spokesperson of the Secretary General.

  Inner City Press asked spokesperson Del Buey, your Office was consulted about these Guidelines?

Yes, Del Buey replied.

  "And you agree with them?"

Yes, Del Buey said.

   Inner City Press thanked him for his candor. There is no longer a doubt: Ban Ki-moon's office has agreed to the reduction in press access to the Security Council. It seems clear that UNCA has as well -- Inner City Press asked Del Buey and he did not disagree.

  UNCA's 2013 president Pamela Falk of CBS News has claimed to at least two dues paying UNCA members that she had not seen the Guidelines, though they were given to the new Free UN Coalition for Access on May 20 for comment.

  Nor in the four days Inner City Press for FUNCA has been opposing and asking about the Guidelines has UNCA's Executive Committee said anything. 

  Falk was at a UN press conference on Friday afternoon; her focus was on whispered that she must be given the first question, then demanding the speakers' business cards after asking to make-up questions. Press access? Not so much.

  In fact, just three office doors down from Falk's single occupancy CBS office, a FUNCA flier raising the issue of the loss of media access to the Security Council was defaced on the May 23, with the words "fraud" and the mis-spelled "viscous." (That's UNCA for you.) 

  Neither Falk nor her First Vice President Louis Charbonneau of Reuters, also on the scene or at least in the building on Friday, have done anything about it - at least not to stop it.

  In fact, since at latest February 22 both have been aware of multiple anonymous social media accounts associated with UNCA "leaders" -- and with Charbonneau's Reuters -- which falsely charge opponents with being funded by terrorists. To this has UNCA descended under Charbonneau and Falk. 

   Del Buey concluded Friday's noon briefing, as he has throughout the week, by saying that only DPI's Stephane Dujarric can answer. But for now Dujarric does not answer or follow through.  

 Dujarric said he would look into a UN Security camera installed about the office door of Inner City Press and FUNCA -- but has done nothing; Inner City Press had to go itself to speak with the Department of Safety and Security about it.

   Dujarric on Monday May 20 said that an erroneously blacked out speak by Palestine's Saeb Erekat would be put online on May 21. It wasn't that day: no update from Dujarric. 

  Nor the next day, after which Inner City Press witnessed an impacted Mission calling him, and returning with Dujarric's excuse about "encryption." Why encrypt the video of an open meeting about Palestine?

  Del Buey first claimed his office announces all ambassadors' departures from the Security Council, which even UNCA's "leaders" know is not true. 

  Then Del Buey said that his office announces when a country's mission wants them to. That's quite different, and only covered televised stakeouts. And as shown with Erekat, who knows where THAT goes.

   Likewise, there are many Council activities that take place when formal meetings are not underway. Inner City Press gave the example of the first working day of June, the bi-laterals. 

  That is why there was a table there before, and must be in the future -- whatever Dujarric and his partners say. Watch this site.

At UN, Surveillance Camera Still Up Over Inner City Press, Palestine Video Still Down, Banning Press by Dujarric, Silent for 24 Hours

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, May 23 -- Basic principles of press freedom that the UN abided by in the past are now being violated without so much as an explanation. 

   In 2009 when the UN "inadvertently" installed security cameras over the press offices in its Library building, after Inner City Press exposed it, the cameras were removed. But in 2013?

The day after Inner City Press complained about a plan to ban even a small work table permitted in the past by the renovated Security Council (2-minute Q&A video here and embedded below), on May 22 a UN surveillance camera was spotted above the office door of Inner City Press and the Free UN Coalition for Access.

  Inner City Press asked it at the UN's May 23 noon briefing, video herefrom Minute 12:

Inner City Press: the UN has installed a security camera on the third floor, right in front of the door of Inner City Press and the Free UN Coalition for Access, that’s why I am raising it. This issue arose when there was a temporary move to above the library here. What I am wondering is whether the UN thinks it is appropriate to install security or surveillance cameras in an area used by the press to meet with sources. Is it going to be removed?

Deputy Spoksperson Del Buey: Well, Matthew, I have seen your exchange of e-mails with Stéphane Dujarric, and I believe that Stéphane Dujarric is addressing this issue, so I…

Inner City Press: Is it coming down or is it staying up?

Deputy Spokesperson: Well, I’ll leave it to Stéphane to explain it to you. Okay, thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen. Have a good afternoon.

  In an e-mail on the evening of May 22, after Inner City Press and FUNCA complained, Dujarric replied that he had gone to see the camera and would look into it. 

 He also repeated what he has said on May 20, that a UN video of the speech of Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat that was erroneously cut off from broadcast by UNTV, which Dujarric supervised, would be put online.

  A full twenty four hour later, the surveillance camera was still up, and the video still not. And no explanation or update at all from Dujarric, despite Del Buey's statement at the noon briefing that "I’ll leave it to Stéphane to explain it to you." This is unacceptable. We will have more on this.

Video of May 22, 2013 UN Noon Briefing: ICP told to deal with Dujarric: nothing for 24 hours

Footnote: Dujarric, as we have previously noted, is close, too close, with the old UNCA including its anonymous social media trolls. In this case, UNCA's president is claiming she didn't know about and hadn't seen the Media Access Guidelines which name UNCA as a party. She does not want her name used; thus she supports the attempted curtailment of free speech, even on substantive flyers on journalists' office doors. Her name is Pamela S. Falk, of CBS News.

 No word on surveillance cameras or other restrictions agreed to. These are Dujarric's partners: the A in the Alliance.

UN Said It'd Put Erekat Speech Online May 21, Hasn't May 22, "Encrypted," Banning Press?

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, May 22 -- On what continuing basis does the UN, after cutting off the UN Television broadcast of a May 20 speech by Palestine's negotiator Saeb Erakat but saying the video would be put online on May 21, not follow through or explain by the end of May 22?

  Inner City Press asked the first question on May 20 right after the cut-off, and seven and a half hour later was told by the chief of UNTV Stephane Dujarric, "Due to a clerical errorthe meeting was listed as closed and not available to UNTV. However, we will have a recording made available to us tomorrow. It will then be posted on the UN webcast page."

  In its second story on the UN black-out of Erekat, Inner City Press published that response and concluded, "We'll have more on this tomorrow." That was supposed to mean, about the substance of what Erakat said.

  But now 46 hours later, the Erekat video is still not on the UN's website. At a Tuesday evening event of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in the General Assembly lobby, another delegation -- not Palestine -- expressed outrage of the blackout, saying "you know who's behind it."

  Actually, we don't. But the UN should take this more seriously. Dujarric has provided no update after saying the video would go online on May 21. Notably, an anonymous social media account which has previously re-tweeted Dujarric on May 21 troll-mocked Inner City Press for pursuing the issue, saying that "real journalists" were in the conference room.

  Perhaps - actually, some of those there are mere typists -- but there are people all over the world who want and have the right to see such a speech given at the UN. What is Dujarric's role with these troll social media accounts? He has done nothing to stop them.

  Inner City Press, pursuing the issue further on May 22, now understands that Dujarric while providing no press update told a mission that the video was "encrypted" and now need to be un-encrypted. This is more than a little strange, and should be explained.

Footnote: we note because we must that this same Stephane Dujarric is involved in a proposal, apparently agreed to by the old UN Correspondents Association, to try to ban the press from using the Security Council stakeout as a workspace, as was allowed in front of the old (pre-renovation) Security Council, and in front of the interim Security Council in the basement under the General Assembly.

  It is there, as the workspace, that the Observer Mission of the State of Palestine and others often delivered its news, which is now being blacked-out for whatever reason by UN DPI. Ban the press from using the stakeout as a workspace? Especially in this context, we (and the Free UN Coalition for Access) think not. 

  The implementation -- again, not disclosed by Dujarric -- of the Guidelines is tied to the move of the Security Council, which Inner City Press had confirmed on May 22 to be on May 24. Watch this site.