Model UN frequently brings to mind general assembly and crisis committees. But while these are the most common types of committees, you may encounter other ones, especially on the college Model UN circuit. Press corps committees are in this latter group. Instead of debating issues and representing countries or characters, delegates become journalists from world news organizations.
Press corps committees are designed to represent the group of journalists typically present at the United Nations and other important bodies. At conferences, delegates in the press corps cover developments within GA and crisis committees. They organize and attend press conferences, interview delegates, and write articles to be published during the conference.
As you can probably imagine, this requires a deep familiarity with journalism, strong interpersonal communication skills, and the ability to balance following debate in multiple committees with writing frequent articles. To succeed in press corps committees, delegates must master all of these. But don’t worry — by preparing beforehand you’ll be one step ahead of the rest.
Research for Press Corps
Press corps is very different from other Model UN committees, so it’s no surprise that preparing for it is too. Unlike in GA or crisis committees, you won’t be writing resolutions, directives, or crisis notes; speeches are also rare in press corps committees. However, many conferences will ask for either a position paper on your news organization or a sample article about another committee at the conference.
Because of this, the first thing you’ll want to do is to research the news organization you’re assigned to. Read articles on its website to become comfortable with it, its writing style, and especially the type of news it focuses on. It’s also critical to know its biases and how it tends to portray various issues, countries, or international organizations. Does it favor some governments or political parties over others? Is it particularly critical of some domestic or international policy solutions? What aspects of an issue does it emphasize for its readers? Committee staff will expect you to know these things and incorporate them into your articles and press conferences.
Researching the other committees at the conference is also important. Typically you’ll be assigned a few to focus on, but will travel to almost everyone at some point for a press conference. Knowing a little about each one can help ensure you won’t be lost in committees and make you stand out to the press corps staff. Reading other committees’ background guides and anything your news organization has written about the committee topics is a great way to start. Try to predict the flow of debate and what policy solutions delegates may propose, and research these too.
Press corps committees are often very fast-paced, similar to real-life journalism. Instead of spending most of your time in committee with your chair and other press corps delegates, you’ll be traveling between different committee rooms, listening to debate, interviewing delegates, arranging and holding press conferences, and writing articles (typically at least one per committee session). If that sounds like a lot to manage at once, you’re right! But if you know what to expect, you’ll be ready to rise to the challenge of press corps.
Press Conferences
Press conferences are one of the most important aspects of press corps. While they take a variety of forms, most often committees will pause debate for 5-15 minutes and allow press corps members to ask delegates questions about their proposed solutions, specific clauses on draft resolutions, or the committee in general. This is your opportunity to represent your newspaper, hold delegates accountable to their countries’ positions, and ask questions that will help you write an article about the committee later on. It is also a chance to display your public speaking skills — the only one you may get in a press corps committee!
Press corps delegates usually are tasked with organizing the press conferences. This can be difficult but is a wonderful way to show leadership and initiative. To do this, you’ll have to build relationships with the chairs of the conference’s various committees, especially the ones you’re assigned to cover. Doing this as early as possible is the key to success. Introduce yourself to the chairs during the first committee session, ask to set up a press conference the next day, and try to get their contact information so you can message them about it even while in a different committee room. Also, keep the other press corps delegates and staff informed and provide them with any information they’ll need before the conference.
During the press conference, ask questions! Find a clause in a resolution or directive that your newspaper’s readers would want to know more about, and direct your question to either an individual delegate or the committee as a whole. You can also ask about the issues delegates are not addressing, and why they chose not to. Don’t be afraid to challenge delegates on their policies’ feasibility or alignment with their country’s position on an issue — in fact, these are often the best questions. A great question is very memorable, and performing well in press conferences is necessary to award in a press corps committee.
How to Conduct Interviews for Articles
To write your articles, you’ll need quotes and information from sources; doing interviews with individual delegates is how you’ll obtain them. You should arrange these in the same way as press conferences: become familiar with a few delegates in each of your assigned committees, and ask for their contact information to schedule one. Try to pick delegates who seem knowledgeable about the committee, yet will have time to speak with you — while the ones clearly leading their committees are great to interview, they are often preoccupied with other matters and may not be willing to.
Since delegates can’t spend much time away from their committees, interviews should be as short as possible. It’s important to walk into one knowing exactly what information you need and which questions will enable you to get it. Make a list of questions and record the conversation (ask permission first!). Using recording transcription apps like Otter.ai can save time when writing articles later on.
How to Write Press Corps Articles
You will typically encounter a few types of articles in press corps committees. Most common are regular news articles, which convey information on committee developments and proposed solutions. There are also feature stories, which normally focus on a specific policy area or profile a delegate. You might also write opinion pieces or editorials, where you can praise or criticize a committee’s policy based on your newspaper’s political leanings.
Clarity and concision are essential in press corps articles. Committees often discuss complex topics, which must be explained in an accessible manner so people not listening to the committee’s debate (including the press corps staff) can understand them. Defining terminology and providing background information on policy proposals and the committee topics is useful, as is using short paragraphs and cutting out unnecessary information.
Start articles with a lede: in journalism, this is the sentence or two that comprises the article’s first paragraph and tells the reader its subject. Your goal is for readers to immediately understand what the article is about and to want to learn more by reading on. The rest of the article could follow the inverted pyramid format, arranging information in order of importance. And feel free to be creative! Just don’t sacrifice clarity for it.
The best way to prepare for writing articles in press corps committees, along with everything else in them, is to practice. Before the conference, read other news articles and try writing your own, following a similar style. This will help you write more efficiently during the conference. You can also look at writing resources for journalists, which might be especially helpful if the writing style is new to you.
A final word of encouragement: while press corps will be new to you your first time, it will be to most other people you’ll meet! Press corps committees are much less common than others but no less enjoyable. You’ll see a different side of Model UN, learn many new skills, and have fun along the way. And by preparing for your press corps committee before the conference begins, you’ll set yourself up for success during it (maybe even a gavel).
