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United Nations Correspondents Association - Journalism

Lakrishna.JPG

Lakrishna Yadav

Head of Journalism

Committee Name: United Nations Correspondents Association- Journalism

Additional Directors: Deeksha Singh, Jayanti Yadav

Committee Size: 20-25 delegates

 

Agenda: Unveil global crises, address the challenges of press freedom, media ethics, and continuously spreading information. Delegates will investigate their notions and agencies, draft news reports, and participate in press conferences whilst holding key stakeholders accountable.

 

Committee Plan:

The UNCA journalists' various committee sessions will be divided into writing sessions and crisis sessions. During writing sessions, the journalists will be expected to work on their allotted article pieces. Whereas, in crisis sessions, journalists will need to deliberate and debate upon the crisis at hand, and will need to come up with solutions for the same. 

 

1. Agencies & Biases: 

Every journalist is allotted a news agency which becomes their portfolio for the rest of the conference. When discussing the political spectrum, we’re looking at the range of political opinions, from left to right. Some agencies have a bias based on where they fall on this spectrum. For example, left-leaning agencies often support progressive ideas like government involvement in healthcare or climate action. A well-known example of a left-leaning agency is CNN. On the other hand, right-leaning agencies tend to support more traditional views, like limited government and free-market policies. Fox News is a good example of a right-leaning agency. Journalists are obligated to adopt the bias of their news agency throughout reporting and committee sessions which depends on several factors such as ownership, political affiliations, and the country in which their news agency is based. Delegates are required to exhibit their understanding of their news agency’s bias in committee through article submissions as well as the arguments put forth by them during crisis discussions. Admitting one’s bias goes against the ethics of journalism hence no news agency can ever own up to being prejudiced- which provides news agencies a nuance most other portfolios lack.

 

2. Tentative Article Types:

Over the three-day period of the conference, journalists will be mandated to compose a myriad of articles of varied kinds, which shall be ascribed in the UNCA background guide. A few examples of the same are: Position Papers (also referred to as Pre-conference submissions), Feature pieces, Analytical and Counter Analytical pieces, Opinion Editorials, Press Conference critiques, Beats, Case Studies, Miscellaneous articles (which may include encompass Satires, Found Poems, Collaborative pieces, Short Stories among others) etcetera. 

 

3. Press conference:

UNCA's journalists also have the unique opportunity to conduct press conferences, where they interrogate the delegates of their allotted sub-committees. Here, they possess the power to hold the delegates accountable, voicing those who never dared to speak against. By posing critically thought-out questions on pertinent issues, delegates eventually succumb to the power of the press. Journalists are expected to garner solidarity towards their bias through the press conference proceedings and gather information to help them craft a pristine press conference critique. Adequate research is a must.

 

4. Newsletter and Blog: 

The UNCA publishes three editions of the newsletter during each SMUN, each of which includes media chosen based on their proficiency. Furthermore, every submission received by the Executive Board is posted on the UNCA blog to ensure that all delegates can review one another's work.

 

5. Crisis: 

The UNCA-J possesses its own crises, in which journalists take part. There will be sudden twists and breaking news, and you’ll need to respond quickly, using your wits and teamwork to cover the story, one strictly within the committee. Delegates must keep in mind their agency bias and must be on good terms with current affairs. Journalists are expected to engage in debate while coming up with solutions to tackle the crisis through means of diplomacy, discussions, and perhaps intuition.

 

6. Collaborative Pieces:

Collaborative pieces are an interface where all the organs of the UNCA come together. Journalists, photographers, and cartoonists integrate their skills to create one striking piece. Based on the content provided within the journalists' articles, cartoonists and photographers illustrate and embed appropriate caricatures and images respectively. Moreover, it must be noted that these collaborations can be incorporated within any article type the journalists are assigned to write.

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