Ban Ki-moon Gets EU Soccer Photo Ops For France 24 and ANSA from His Scribes & Censors, Stonewalls

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, July 4 -- Is it supposed to be the function of journalists who ostensibly cover an institution to provide photo-ops for the head of the institution?

  That's what's happening at the UN, where a group called the UN Correspondents Association promoted Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's appearance at their soccer game with ambassadors they also purport to cover. Footage of the football appeared without analysis or critique on France 24 and now ANSA, the Italian service.

  While Ban did a mere ceremonial kick-off, UNCA pushed out pictures of it -- as it props up that they are close to the UN -- and predictably the UN's own UN News Centre and UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric and even the UN's main twitter account did the same.

  And so on July 3, France 24 showed video, even asDujarric continued dodging on the UN flying around the leader of the sanctioned FDLR militia.

  Then Italian ANSA showed it, amid bragging the Ban's deputy Eliasson will go to Italy. 

  It's one thing for a country like Italy to brag of its connections with the UN. But for supposed journalists to be so craven? Particularly when Ban has reneged on previous commitments to hold monthly on the record press conference, replacing these with “press encounters” of which the press is not told until afterward, and even interviews with LinkedIn - is this appropriate?

  It is symbiosis: the scribes want to be seen as having access, and in this case the group UNCA which has a documented (by FOIA) history of trying to get investigative media thrown out of the UN, doing nothing when the News Agency of Nigeria was evicted from the UN due to a lack of space when the UN gives UNCA a big room that sits empty and dark most days -- UNCA is grateful to be promoted by Ban's spokesman. But why is he doing it?

  UNCA itself promoted without irony or comment the participation of "Egypt Ambassador Mootaz Ahmadein Khalil" -- which push came to shove, or push-over, there was no mention of #FreeAJstaff. Here was Ban with Egypt's Permanent Representative, here. Watch this site - and this one.

   

After UN Spokesman Misleads, Invited to Soccer with Scribes and Censors, No UNCA Reforms

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, July 2 -- Moments after UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's spokesman Stephane Dujarric had refused on July 2 to explain his inaccurate or misleading answer to a Press question about the UN flying a sanctioned FDLR militia leader around the Democratic Republic of Congo on June 27, he was invited to play soccer or football with a group of some reporters.

  This group, the old UN Correspondents Association, in 2012 demanded the censorship of Inner City Press reporting on its screening in the UN of Sri Lanka's goverment film denying war crimes, which noted that UNCA's President had previously had a financial relationship with Sri Lanka's Ambassador.

  After that, the UNCA Executive Committee not only triedincluding through Dujarric to get Inner City Press thrown out of the UN -- they also refused to implement any reforms or best practices in its relationships those it is ostensibly covering. Financial relationships? No problem, apparently.

  Inner City Press quit UNCA, to whose Executive Committee it had been elected, and it co-founded the new Free UN Coalition for Access, which is for example pushing for, wonder of wonders, accurate answers in the UN Press Briefing Room by the UN Spokesperson.

  Typically, when on April 15 outgoing French Ambassador Gerard Araud right in the Briefing Room told a Lebanese reporter, who had paid dues to UNCA, that "you are not a journalist, you are an agent," UNCA dragged its feet.

  The Free UN Coalition for Access formally asked Dujarric to convey to Araud and the French mission the stated position, that accredited journalists should be treated with respect. But Dujarric declined.

  This is the context of the (softball) soccer game that UNCA President Pamela Falk has been promoting, including with photographs of a jersey branded “UNCA” just as she (and Dujarric) try to brand each UN press conference with the name “UNCA.”

  They have said that Ban Ki-moon will do the ceremonial kick-off (with what functioned as his UN's Censorship Alliance); they have whispered by Ban's senior adviser Kim Won-soo will play... on the “Ambassadors” team.

  Some ambassadors were told this confab of is all journalists covering the UN -- it is not. Several Permanent Representatives asked Inner City Press if it or FUNCA would participate -- the answer is no -- and some questioned the appropriateness of the marketing and of UNCA's direction generally. So it goes - for now: softballs with censors. Watch this site.

   

After Faux Press Encounter, Ban Ki-moon Does Interview on Corporate LinkedIn, Softball with Scribes

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, July 1 -- When is a “press encounter” not a real press encounter? When is an interview essentially a fake?

  Two days after the UN claimed that Secretary General Ban Ki-moon held a "press encounter" but the press corps which covers the UN was not informed and was not present, Ban has done an "interview" -- on LinkedIn.  Why was this done?

   Ban's spokesman Stephane Dujarric on July 1 said that Ban, after the press-less press encounter, did an interview - on his LinkedIn page. This essentially promotes that for-profit company, as it can only be seen if one joins.

  Those ostensibly speaking for the UN press corps make no complaints, instead bragging about Ban kicking a (soft) ball with them. Despite previous issues with UNCA presidential financial links with Sri Lanka's ambassador - and attempts to censor reporting on these - and reversal on donated TV,UNCA's president is bragging about new jerseys: branding everything.

   This is UN decay, and what the Free UN Coalition for Access is challenging.

  On Sunday, June 29 Ban's spokesperson's office sent out a transcript of what it called Ban's “Remarks at Press Encounter with H.E. Mr. Shimon Peres, President of Israel.” What was sent out did not say when it had occurred, nor where, other than “New York.”

  No notice was sent out by the UN's Media Liaison and Accreditation Unit, nor by Spokesman Stephane Dujarric. When Dujarric was in charge of MALU, FUNCA formally asked him to begin providing notice of Ban events even if held outside of the UN headquarters.

  On June 30, Inner City Press for FUNCA asked, where did the "press encounter" take place and why were the press not told? Dujarric said it was the Israeli mission which made the arrangements -- if true, that is abnormal, as the UN is supposed to announce to the media it accredits when Ban will be taking questions on UN relevant issues.

  Dujarric bragged when he gave notice of Ban meeting New York City Mayor De Blasio - but gave no notice of the "press availability" regarding Israel's Peres. FUNCA says this is UNacceptable.

  The old UN Correspondents Association on the other hand, whose head Pamela Falk was present on June 30 if only to take the first set-aside question to Hilde Johnson on South Sudan, made no complaint.

  Instead, they are bragging about a "journalists and diplomats" game of football or soccer this week, even that Ban Ki-moon may be present at the kick-off.  Virtually? Softballs, indeed.

   

UN Says Ban Ki-moon's Faux “Press Encounter” With Peres Managed by Israel, Softball with Scribes

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, June 30 -- When is a “press encounter” not a press encounter? When the UN claims that Secretary General Ban Ki-moon held one, but the press corps which covers the UN is not informed and is not present. 

  But those ostensibly speaking for the UN press corps make no complaint, instead bragging about Ban kicking a (soft) ball with them. This is UN decay, and what the Free UN Coalition for Access is challenging.

  On Sunday, June 29 Ban's spokesperson's office sent out a transcript of what it called Ban's “Remarks at Press Encounter with H.E. Mr. Shimon Peres, President of Israel.” What was sent out did not say when it had occurred, nor where, other than “New York.”

  No notice was sent out by the UN's Media Liaison and Accreditation Unit, nor by Spokesman Stephane Dujarric. When Dujarric was in charge of MALU,  FUNCA formally asked him to begin providing notice of Ban events even if held outside of the UN headquarters.

  On June 30, Inner City Press for FUNCA asked, where did the "press encounter" take place and why were the press not told? Dujarric said it was the Israeli mission which made the arrangements -- if true, that is abnormal, as the UN is supposed to announce to the media it accredits when Ban will be taking questions on UN relevant issues. 

  Dujarric bragged when he gave notice of Ban meeting New York City Mayor De Blasio - but gave no notice of the "press availability" regarding Israel's Peres. FUNCA says this is UNacceptable.

  The old UN Correspondents Association on the other hand, whose head Pamela Falk was present on June 30 if only to take the first set-aside question to Hilde Johnson on South Sudan, made no complaint.

  Instead, they are bragging about a "journalists and diplomats" game of football or soccer this week, even that Ban Ki-moon will be present at the kick-off.  Softballs, indeed.

  If Netherlands' Ambassador goes, he might want to answer about donor countries refusing to follow the recommendation of the UN Senior Advisory Group on Peacekeeping Operations that peacekeepers be paid $1700 a month, offering only $1250. This question wasn't answered - but ones about the World Cup were. When Inner City Press asked Dujarric on June 30, he wouldn't express any position on peacekeeper reimbursement either. To this is the UN coming -- softballs.

  The UNCA Executive Committee didn't even give their own members a transcript of Ban's spoonfed lunch quotes to them this year, on which they wrote (largely fawning) stories. 

  One of UNCA's dues-paying members was told by outgoing French Ambassador Gerard Araud, "You are not a journalist, you are an agent" -- and UNCA is still dragging its feet. Hey, that's no way to kick a ball.

  Of Ban's Peres remarks the coverage, in a style echoing state media, was by the UN's own UN News Centre, which ran a photograph by UN Photo and “reported” that Ban was “speaking at the beginning of a meeting with President Shimon Peres of Israel at the UN Headquarters in New York.”

  But the photo appears to show Ban's own residence, blocks away from UN Headquarters. It was on the door of Ban's UN-provided residence that legal papers in the first case against hisUN bringing cholera to Haiti were taped -- but the UN refused to confirm that.

  Last Friday June 20 Dujarric and his deputy Farhan Haq refused to answer Inner City Press' written request for confirmation or denial of the service on Ban of yet more Haiti cholera papers.

  And from June 26 to June 27 Dujarric would not even confirm receipt of Inner City Press' questions about UN Peacekeeping's Herve Ladsous flying the UN-sanctioned leader of the FDLR militia in a UN helicopter without any approval from the UN Security Council. 

  The Free UN Coalition for Access is opposing selective answering, failure to answer, and here, failure to notify.

So when IS a “press encounter” not a press encounter, but a scam? How long can this go on, and how much lower can they go? Watch this site.