By Nick Buxton
Editor’s Note: Buxton is in New York covering the United Nations Conference on the World Financial and Economic Crisis and its Impact on Development for the Guardian.
Maybe I was being a naïve activist, but I thought I would be covering an important and consequential event. The world is facing a devastating economic crisis, accompanied by a toxic mix of crises of climate chaos, food prices and even flu outbreaks, and here was chance for a smart, effective response to these pressing and interconnected issues.
The international community had agreed back in November 2008 to develop a coordinated international response to an unprecedented global crisis – and to present its plan in summer 2009. Yet, here I am on the second day of that conference, and for the press it is as if the meeting did not exist.
Until Michael Jackson’s death, the latest dull exploits of US celebrity misfits Jon and Kate – famous mainly for their ability to reproduce- were the only stories staring out at me on most newspaper front pages. So I decided to do some investigation.