By Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon
BBC - Guardian UK - Honduras - ESPN
UN GATE, Dec 1 – The UN bragged about a December 1 concert called "Peace Through Music" - but on November 30 banned the Press from asking questions about it, see below.
A full day later, still with no response or explanation by UNFPA, the pre-recorded "concert" was played on Facebook, with repeated requests for money via Facebook Pay. What, for another $200,000 cocktail party by Natalia Kanem? Today's UN is unaccountable.
The concert is sponsored by UNFPA, whose Media Specialist Eddie Wright wrote, "For journalists not accredited to the UN press corps, please let me know if you would like to attend and I will send you the login details to the press conference."
Inner City Press, which covers the UN (and UNFPA, including exclusively reporting how its director Natalia Kanem spent $200,000 in public funds on a garish cocktail party, here), wrote to Mr. Wright. Twice. It also tweeted at UNFPA's Dr. Nigina Muntean of the Office of the Executive Director, who follows Inner City Press on Twitter. Nothing.
And so, outright censorship, of the type practices for 881 days by UN Spokespeople Stephane Dujarric and Melissa Fleming.
While ultimately attributable to UNSG Antonio Guterres, who had Inner City Press roughed up and banned for asking about his failure to disclose his links to UN briber CEFC China Energy, whose Patrick Ho was convicted in the SDNY Federal court Inner City Press now covers daily, UNFPA is complicit.
So too now are those listed below - note that even at SDNY, Inner City Press covers music, for example here and here. (The New Yorker, "The Controversial Use of Rap Lyrics as Evidence," by Briana Younger, "The independent journalist Matthew Russell Lee reported on Twitter"). Here are those involved and complicit:
Aloe Blacc, Angélique Kidjo, Becky G, Brandi Carlile, Mike McCready of Pearl Jam, Carlos Santana, Gabi Melim, Gary Clark Jr., Jack Johnson, Mavis Staples, Peter Gabriel, Rhiannon Giddens, Ringo Starr, Robbie Robertson, Josh Homme, Sheila E., Skip and Cedella Marley, The War and Treaty, Yo-Yo Ma, Billie Eilish, Killer Mike, Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird, Norman Lear and Sara Bareilles.
Inner City Press, which was banned from the UN without any due process or appeal, must be allowed back in to such briefings, to ask questions.
We'll have more on this.
***
Your support means a lot. As little as $5 a month helps keep us going and grants you access to exclusive bonus material on our Patreon page. Click here to become a patron.
Feedback: Editorial [at] innercitypress.com
SDNY Press Room 480, front cubicle
500 Pearl Street, NY NY 10007 USA
Mail: Box 20047, Dag Hammarskjold Station NY NY 10017
