Upload
ngokhuong
View
218
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Letter from the Secretary General Esteemed Delegates,
It is my sincere pleasure to welcome you to the 12th annual
United Nations Society Fall conference, CarleMUN 2015. This year, I
have the distinct honour of serving as the Secretary General of
CarleMUN, and I hope to meet all of you throughout the conference.
For those of you who are new to the UNS, CarleMUN will be a new
experience – full of surprises and excitement – and will hopefully
inspire you to continue participating in MUN for years to come.
While the initial research may seem overwhelming, the background
guides may seem immense, the committee room may seem
daunting and large; you will find your feet.
The United Nations Society has always seen Model UN as more
than just a chance to debate contemporary issues in international
affairs; more than simply a chance to take what you have learned in
class and apply it to the real-world. It is an opportunity to engage
with a diverse range of students in an academic and social context
and refine your skills of negotiation, diplomacy, communication,
creativity, collaboration, and quick thinking.
As you navigate the conference weekend, both inside and
outside of the committee room, I would encourage you to consider
the role that your participation will play. As I will repeat throughout
the year, you will only get out of MUN what you are willing to put in.
Though somewhat cliché, it is appropriate for an activity that relies
almost exclusively on delegate participation.
I will leave you with one final thought before you join us on
September 25th for the Opening Ceremonies of CarleMUN. Whether
you have been doing Model United Nations for years, or whether this
is your first, brave venture into the unknown, you will be stepping
into a room of people each with their own passions, perspectives and
philosophies. Embrace the opportunity to meet new people, gain
new experiences and hone your skills as a global citizen.
Sincerely,
Alex Berryman
President, United Nations Society
Secretary General, CarleMUN 2015
The International Press Forum The Fourth Estate
Letter from the Editor
Dear International Press Forum delegates,
It is with pleasure that I welcome you to this year’s CarleMUN, and
to the IPF. Over the course of this conference, you will be treated to a
unique Model United Nations experience no other kind of committee
can provide. While most delegates will be concerned with ideological
sparring, standing on each other’s shoulders, and geopolitical power
moves, you will be playing on the open field of ideas.
Your mission is to spread word, to shout, to connect—to make people
aware of the events that unfold around them, sometimes even to the
chagrin of the people making those events happen. A wide range of
things will unfold over the course of CarleMUN, and it is up to you to
make sure that their story is told.
Calum Smith Managing Editor, IPF CarleMUN 2015 [email protected]
Procedure This IPF comprises a team of journalists, one Editor in Chief, and one
Managing Editor. These reporters will, under the direction of the
Editors, write and publish Carleton Daily for the weekend. Carleton
Daily will be found at ipf.unsociety.com, and will collect the finest
reporting on the events of CarleMUN’s various committees. It will
aim to cut through the noise of the conference, delivering reporting
so insightful that other delegates will watch the coverage of their
own committees just to get a leg up.
Reporters are expected to write pieces of approximately 200-400
words in length documenting the events of all other committees, and
submit them by email to the Editors. They should strive to uncover
the stories surrounding the official events of the committees,
bringing light to things that could otherwise go unnoticed, and to
create a more rich dialogue around the conference. These stories
will be published throughout the conference, as well as being
featured and promoted by the Editors as the conference progresses
and stories develop. Reporters may tweet more informal, short-form
work using #CarleMUN, although this is not required, and reporters
who are unable, or otherwise do not use Twitter, will not be
penalized.
Any subject within the bounds of the conference is fair game on
which to report, if the delegate and Editors deem it newsworthy.
Furthermore, as no story is ever fully closed, delegates are welcome
to develop upon each other’s coverage, provided that they attribute
original reporting per accepted journalistic practices, and add to the
conversation surrounding the original story.
Distribution Daily will be distributed primarily through its website,
ipf.unsociety.com, which will be displayed throughout the
conference in other committees. It will be promoted via Twitter by
its Editors at @uns_ipf, leaving the reporters to focus on their
writing.
Preparation In the interest of preparedness, there are a number of tools the
delegates should have on hand. Firstly, it is essential that delegates
have a laptop computer, or comparably capable device, with
which to write their pieces for Daily. It is also recommended that
delegates bring a notepad/book and accompanying pen/pencil
for note-taking, a camera and audio recorder, or a phone with
equivalent capability, and earphones for transcribing of
recordings in what may at times be a busy environment.
News Outlets A diverse array of news sources from across the globe have been
selected to participate in the CarleMUN IPF, headquartered across
nine countries spanning four continents, and comprising hundreds
of combined bureaus. Each has its own distinct perspective and way
of covering all the events that will take place over the course of the
conference.
Each delegate will be assigned a publication from the following list,
and their responsibility will be to represent it among the IPF,
writing from its standpoint and in its style. Delegates are to
familiarize themselves with the nuances of their organization’s
particular voice, and its social, economic, and political values, to
provide the most accurate portrayal of their outlet possible.
The New York Times – New York City, USA All the news that’s fit to print, with over 100 Pulitzers to show for it.
One of the world’s, and certainly America’s, most revered and
established newspapers, the Times is the de facto news source of the
American city dweller, and leans socially left as American
publications go, owing, according to its once-ombudsman, to its
cosmopolitan origins in New York City.
Al Jazeera – Doha, Qatar The state news organization of Qatar, owned in part by the Qatari
royal family, Al Jazeera (literally The Peninsula) is one of the
largest news organizations in the world, particularly from the
Middle East. Traditionally making a point to represent multiple
sides of any issue, although some dispute this claim, it is a driving
force in the global conversation, and the leading voice of the Arabian
Peninsula.
The Times of India – Mumbai, India The largest-selling English language newspaper in the world, and
one of the largest papers in India, TOI prefers to stay up-to-date with
the interests and opinions of the public, tending to a liberal, secular
view of current issues. They have been accused of aligning with
India’s government in the past, but have been decreasingly hesitant
to voice dissenting opinions in recent years.
People’s Daily – Beijing, China China’s second-most widely circulated newspaper, People’s Daily is
the official paper of the Chinese Communist Party. It has been called
a “mouthpiece” for the CCP, and is widely analyzed as one of the
most public and constant indicators of the opinion of the Chinese
Government, with intricate systems of analyzing the significance of
its contents.
Der Spiegel – Hamburg, Germany One of, if not the most influential news outlet in Europe, Der Spiegel
is among the world’s leading news magazines. It has a distinguished
reputation for its “aggressive” investigative reporting, which has
unearthed scandals ranging from the eponymous “Spiegel scandal”
in 1962 West Germany to Edward Snowden and Wikileaks’ NSA
revelations in the 2010’s. It houses what is “most likely the world’s
largest fact-checking operation”.
Al-Ahram – Cairo, Egypt Egypt’s largest newspaper and among its oldest, Al-Ahram is the
state news outlet for Egypt, ubiquitous enough to be influential of
the state of the written Arabic word. Criticized in the past for its
subservience to the state government, it has, in recent years, been
noted to increasingly question the Egyptian government, leveraging
its reduced risk of censorship to its advantage. The changing face of
government in Egypt has threatened its operations, but widened the
gap between it and government control.
The Times – London, UK One of the oldest remaining newspapers in the world, the original
Times, having lent its name to publications the world over and even
some typefaces, is a traditionally centre-right daily broadsheet
paper viewed as an authority in the British press. It has maintained
uniquely explicit yet varied political allegiances over the years,
having officially endorsed most major British political parties at
some point. Preferring clear but varied political support over
attempting to maintain detachment, The Times plays a central role
in the British news media.
Le Nouvel Observateur – Paris, France France’s most popular news magazine describes itself as aligned
with the “social-democratic” movement, found at the French centre-
left. L’Obs finds its strength covering cultural and political current
affairs—particularly those of Europe, Africa, and the Middle East—
with a careful eye, analyzing the issues du jour in-depth with an
intellectual and cosmopolitan voice.
Quartz – New York City, USA Quartz was launched in 2012 as The Atlantic’s business news
publication, a young and modern operation by design that quickly
became the category upstart to watch. It is published exclusively
online, with an intense focus on being digital-native and forward
thinking. It is outspokenly current and eschews tradition; it makes a
point to focus on “under-covered” regions such as Africa and India,
uses a very broad definition of business news, and is at times almost
conversational in its tone.
Vice News – New York City, USA Iconoclastic and willingly oddballish Vice News reflects its origins in
a punk magazine born out of Montreal. Highly conscious of its own
edginess, it makes a point to cover stories that its competitors,
depending on who you ask, either don’t trifle with or willingly
ignore. It targets a younger audience, unashamedly leaning on
exciting conflict, a matter-of-fact sense of dramatics, and a
deliberately counter-cultural image to appeal to the youth
disillusioned by conventional media giants.
BuzzFeed News – Anaheim, USA Once dismissed by the internet aristocracy as a frivolous Facebook-
fodder factory, BuzzFeed’s particular interest of late in “serious”
reporting has made it one of the most-watched news outlets in
recent memory, owing to its polarizing but canny ability to capture
the attention of the internet masses—particularly the coveted
millennial audience so many news outlets still fail to understand.
Famously unafraid to appeal to its audience, BuzzFeed pioneered
some of the most maligned and effective internet-age techniques,
from clickbait headlines to listicles, and while it downplays these
moves in its news coverage, it does not forgo them entirely.
Russia Today – Moscow, Russia Offering the self-described “Russian perspective” on current affairs,
RT, as it’s now known, is one of the most internationally active
Russian news networks. Founded in the midst of a great push to
elevate Russia’s image in the world, it has been accused of
spreading propaganda, and even outright misinformation.
Nevertheless, in 10 years in operation it has expanded to broadcast
in 5 languages in over 100 countries, perhaps as a necessary
counterpoint to the Western dominance of news media—its own
slogan pushes this concept: “Question More”.
Fox News – New York City, USA The United States’ famously opinionated Fox News publishes under
the banner of “Fair and Balanced”. Its critics purport otherwise, but
it remains perhaps the USA’s dominant cable news network,
reaching nearly 100 million households. It truly became dominant
during the American Right’s string of favour in the late 90’s and
early 2000’s, and while it has come under fire in recent years, its
sway over the American conversation remains considerable.
The Globe and Mail – Toronto, Canada Finally, Canada’s paper of record, the “independent but not neutral”
Globe and Mail is a historically progressive-conservative paper,
born out of the Liberal Globe and the Tory Mail and Empire,
speaking for and to the business establishment from the Canadian
centre. It has been regarded to exhibit a left-leaning streak in recent
years, but in general makes political moves slowly and intentionally.