Press Corps - Harvard Model United Nations

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Press Corps Written Content As mentioned previously, the majority of the content the Press Corps produces is likely to be written (similar to what might be found in a traditional newspaper), and published primarily on our website. The advantage of written pieces is their extreme flexibility and ease of production. A written piece can be anything—an interview, a normal news story covering proceedings and events, or a quick news blurb. A quality piece should feature quotes and interviews and relevant facts about the situation. They answer the basic facts needed to comprehend an event: What’s going on? Who are the key players in committee? What are the consequences of what’s happening in committee? Is everyone in agreement or are there many dissenting opinions? A danger of reporting is to misrepresent the situation or get your facts wrong. Learning the context of a situation is important. So for instance, reporters will be expected to sit in on at least part of a committee session to gather background information and interview delegates for their articles. In some cases, a reporter will have to be present for an entire committee session in order to gather enough information to file a story, and in other instances, a reporter may only need to be present for an hour or so; it depends on the content of the piece being produced. Once a reporter has enough background information and quotes, he will write up his story on a computer in the Press Corps room or in an HMUN computer lab or using his personal laptop 1 and submit it for editing and posting on the HMUN media website. There are no length requirements for written pieces; reporters should simply strive to convey as much useful information as possible given the time constraints they will be facing. The exception is if a reporter would like an item to be added to the conference-wide news tickers or to the scrolling news bar on the video feeds across the hotel. Video Press Corps reporters will also have the option to work with various non-print media throughout the conference. The press room will be equipped with video cameras that reporters can use to record news broadcasts that will be posted on the HMUN media website. Broadcasts can be recorded either in front of a green screen, so that reporters can choose the backdrop for their broadcast to be digitally added, or on-location anywhere in the hotel, so long as the reporters do not interfere with committee sessions. 1 Press Corps reporters may use their laptops if they own a laptop. However, laptops may only be used in the Press Corps room. Laptops cannot be WiFi connected, even in the Press Corps room. Remember that other delegates in other committees are not allowed to use their laptops. If you do not own or do not plan on bringing your laptop, we will have plenty of computers available in both the Press Corps room and in HMUN computer labs. Reporters can also use video cameras to record B-roll (that is, background footage) to include in broadcasts, again making sure not to disrupt committee sessions. Reporters using video will be expected to write out a script for their broadcast so that the news report is delivered fluidly and professionally. There is a lot of room for creativity in producing videos, and reporters should feel free to explore diverse content options in their broadcasts. For instance, broadcasts may be done as solo, stand-up reports, or reporters may wish to interview delegates on camera. Reporters might choose to have a particularly well-versed delegate provide some facts and statistics for the news report, or it might be interesting to interview two delegates with different views on an issue. If a reporter plans to interview a delegate in a video piece, the reporter should have a list of questions prepared, and the delegate should be informed of the general subject of the questions prior to the interview. After filming of a video spot is complete, the reporters will work with the Press Corps staff to edit the broadcast and upload it to the HMUN media website. Reporters and committee staff will be using iMovie to edit video, and though some knowledge of this software may be useful, it is by no means required of reporters. Photography HMUN reporters can also be photojournalists and will take photographs of committee sessions throughout the conference. These photos will be uploaded to the HMUN media website and will also serve as visual aids accompanying the print pieces published on the site. Remember, photojournalists are part of the HMUN simulation as well, and their photographs should be of a professional nature. The majority of photos should be candid shots of delegates doing something interesting in the committee room: engaging in formal and informal debate, raising placards, writing working papers, etc. Generally, the subjects of the photograph shouldn’t be looking directly at 66 Innovation Specialized and Technology Agencies
Press Corps the camera; otherwise the picture may look staged. Although HMUN may be able to provide some cameras, reporters who have digital cameras should bring them to the conference, along with any cables for uploading to computers. Reporters are responsible for their own cameras for the entire conference, as HMUN cannot reimburse reporters for lost or damaged cameras. Visual graphics Reporters also have the option of producing original, creative visual content for publication alongside print material and as standalone features on the HMUN media website. Examples of this kind of content would be political cartoons, sketches of committee proceedings (some committees may forbid photography, forcing a reporter to rely upon a drawing or sketch to circumvent such rules), data visualizations (e.g. graphs and displays of poll data), or any other visual graphic. Blog While most of the content produced by reporters will be of a substantive nature, the Press Corps will keep a blog throughout the conference called The Unmoderated Caucus. As the name suggests, this blog will be a free forum for reporters to post creative, humorous, witty, critical, or just plain gossipy conference updates. Reporters can make a list of the best-dressed delegates, or publish a guide of DOs and DON’Ts for the delegate dance. They can write about loopholes in the committee rules of procedures, or make a list of MUN-related pick-up lines. Anything goes, reporters should just remember to keep it positive and appropriate, as Press Corps staff will edit all blog posts. Other media The Press Corps also has use of news tickers, televisions, and other displays across the hotel to display our news. For instance, the news tickers can display short phrases, such as crises unfolding in committees, the passage of a resolution, etc. In this way, news can be disseminated immediately, while more lengthy articles, videos, and other media are being created. Further details on these other media will be explained at conference. Content Types In addition to classifying a Press Corps item by the type of media it uses, it can also be classified by the type of work it is. Though the types of content a reporter can produce are limitless, this guide will briefly summarize three different types to serve as a reference point for other content types. News pieces The most fundamental type of content the Press Corps produces is a news piece. This is simply a factual article that should contain quotes, pertinent information, Social media The Press Corps will have a Twitter account (HMUNpress) that we will use to keep conference attendees informed of news updates throughout the conference, and reporters should always be on the lookout for interesting items to tweet about. For instance, a committee setting its first agenda topic may not warrant a full news article, but it is still interesting enough to merit a brief tweet informing people about what that committee will be discussing for the next day. If a delegate says something funny or profound in a speech, that would be tweet worthy too. Remember, tweets should be informative, amusing, or both. The Press Corps staff will explain the procedures for updating the Twitter account at the conference. Innovation and Technology and timely facts. Further details on how to write a good news piece are included in the supplement. Opinion Reporters will also be able to participate in the debates taking place in the committee rooms by writing opinion pieces. As with news stories, reporters working on opinion pieces will be expected to sit in on at least part of a committee session to gather the necessary background information to formulate a coherent argument. A good opinion piece will present a strong thesis in the opening paragraphs and will support that thesis with evidence-based arguments. An opinion piece is only as good as its thesis, so it’s imperative that reporters put a lot of thought into the argument they will be making. For example, “The Security Council passed a bad resolution,” is too vague and would 7
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Press Corps - Harvard Model United Nations

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