STYLE GUIDE INTERNATIONAL PRESS
MOP MUN 2015
“The media's the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that's power. Because they control the minds of the masses.�
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From the Head of IP—MOP MUN 2015
H
ello,
It makes me very happy to address you as the Head of International Press for MOP MUN 2015. While more times than not, the International Press is treated as a subsidiary unit of any MUN, at MOP MUN 2015, we'll strive to build a Press so robust in its ideals that it would actually influence discussions and debates in committee, relieving you from the shackles of being a mute spectator who reports from the sidelines. At MOP MUN 2015, you'll play a vital role in the operation of your committee. You'll get to explore how the power of extensive research embellishes your skills as a journalist, while allowing you to wield your creativity and add flavour to your writing. And here's the most exciting part of it all - you'll get to watch your writing permeate into the crises and debates that ensue in your committee, ensuring that you get a voice that is rightfully yours. While these are some of the many perks of your job, I must make a disclaimer now: As a part of the International Press, you'll get to enjoy all this and more only when you adhere to the following sacrosanct values:
The sanctity of your deadlines The virtuousness of original content The righteousness of hard work The devotion to be creative and think out-of-the-box
If you abide by the following rules, then I promise you a wonderful journey of excitement, fun, and most importantly, learning. That caveat aside, I welcome you all to the International Press at MOP MUN 2015. Warm regards, Noorain Mohammed Nadim Head - International Press MOP MUN 2015
From the Chief Editor—MOP MUN 2015
D
ear reporters, It gives me immense pleasure to address all of you as the Chief Editor of MOPMUN 2015.
The International Press in MOP MUN 2015 is going to be everything you have ever dreamed of! I hope all of you genuinely believe in the influence of the press and the effect of well covered news, for that power is unique to the press alone. I trust that all of you are aware of the power that you hold to direct and to change the flow of debate. I firmly believe that all of you can handle the authority given to you, in the best way possible, for constructive criticism and conversations can definitely change the course of MOP MUN 2015. Pragmatism and diplomacy are two things that are going to be of great help to you as a reporter. As the Chief Editor of MOP MUN 2015, all I expect from you is good grammar, best grammar and great grammar. Grammar Nazi and Proud. Shreevidhya Ravi Chief Editor MOP MUN 2015
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Purpose of the IP—MOP MUN 2015
To procure a first-rate newsletter that will inform readers about the happenings at the MUN and lead debates and discussions in councils.
To conduct extensive research on the respective agendas/committees and to share valuable stories on the same with the audience.
To investigate council activities and proceedings, and submit accurate and unbiased reports.
To conduct timely interviews and press conferences that will change the course of debate in council.
To communicate information to readers not just through written reports, but also through video footages recorded in committee.
Tone of the Newsletter
The newsletters at MOP MUN 2015 will be objective. We will not let our personal feelings (like/dislike) towards any person/country/gender/religion/ caste affect our reports.
We will follow an editorial policy that is similar to that of Reuters—a pioneer in news dissemination across the world. It is advisable that you read a few Reuters‟ reports to understand their style of reporting, voice and quality of reportage.
We will abnegate from inditing convoluted chronicles on all occasions.—What does this sentence tell you? Well, to me it reads—complicated gibberish. Usually, newsletters in MUNs are known for articles that are written in a complicated version of English. I have a distaste for such articles. Why? Because I feel the challenge is not to show off your language skills—you can save that for your blog/website. The challenge is to communicate your ideas and solutions in the simplest way possible. Hence, at MOP MUN 2015, we‟re going to follow the KISS policy—„Keep It Simple Silly‟.
We will NEVER write an article without research. Period.
We will never plagiarize our work. If any reporter indulges in any forms of plagiarism, he/she will be suspended from his/her role as a reporter of the International Press at MOP MUN with immediate effect. 4
Role of the International Press
Committee Reports—We will follow the beat-based style of reporting at MOP MUN 2015. You will not report the proceedings of the committee word-to-word. (Eg.: The committee began on time. The roll call was initiated. The Delegate of India said, “…”. The Delegate of Australia said, “….”.) Instead, you will use your analytical skills and select an important topic from the assemblage of topics discussed during a session. (Eg.: USA welcomed the UN‟s decision to demilitarize the Arctic region.) Then, you will spin your story around this focal point of discussion. Preferably, use the „inverted pyramid‟ structure while writing your article. Number of words—400-600.
Opinionated Editorials—This form of writing gives you a chance to voice your opinion on a particular issue (provided it is backed by adequate research, of course). Opinionated editorials are a powerful combination of good language, excellent research and an effective idea/solution/viewpoint. To get a crash course on writing an opinionated editorial, please read samples from The Hindu, Reuters and The Guardian. Number of words—600800.
Interviews—Interviews are an important component of any newsletter as they share the standpoint of an important individual. Reporters at MOP MUN 2015 will write researchbased interviews—questions that are based on extensive research and not casual banter. Number of words—600-800.
Press Conferences—Reporters will be allowed to hold a press conference in their respective councils. It is here that you can ask questions to the representatives of various countries and the Executive Board if you felt that important points pertaining to the agenda weren‟t discussed adequately, to understand a representative‟s stand on a particular issue, or to bring to light any inaccuracies in the information shared in council. Press conferences must observe the dictates of diplomatic courtesy and must relate to matters of substance. At the end of the conference, a report (not exceeding 700 words) chronicling the session must be submitted.
Social Media—Reporters will regularly post updates and tweets on Facebook and Twitter to report what‟s happening in and outside their respective committee. Social media can be used for informal posts and updates as well, albeit with discretion.
Humour—Contributions that make light reading like comic strips, cartoons, humorous or sarcastic articles, etc. can also be submitted by a reporter. Let your creativity run wild for it is here that you can prove your wit and writing prowess.
Video Byte—Using the help of photojournalists assigned to your committee, you will have to produce a video byte that either chronicles the important happenings in the committee over the course of the MUN, or revolves around one major issue. Every reporter MUST submit one video byte that does not exceed 5 minutes in duration.
Voice your Views— Voice your views is an effective tool to understand the point of view of different stakeholders on one major issue. Flippant questions will not be entertained for this piece; you‟ll have to stick to hard-hitting, agenda-centric questions. If you are wise enough to ask the right questions to the right delegates in council, then you would be driving the direction of all ensuing debates and discussions. Number of words—500-600.
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Elements of Style for the Newsletter
Abbreviations—No periods should be used separating letters of an abbreviated organization or agency. Only standard acronyms and approved abbreviations should be used. Some example abbreviations include: MOP MUN, ECOSOC, UNGA DISEC, UNEP, etc. All countries and committees are spelled out on first reference and abbreviated on second references.
Books and print sources—Names of all books and print sources should be capitalized and italicized.
Dates—We will follow the European style of writing dates: Day Month Year (no commas or abbreviations). For example, 09 January 2015 is the first day of MOP MUN 2015.
Delegate—Do not refer to delegates by their names. Use instead, for example, the Delegate of India.
Developing nations—Within the international community, the use of the term “third world” is actively discouraged. In the newsletters of MOP MUN 2015, all developing nations will be referred to as such.
Diplomatic courtesy—While reporters are encouraged to faithfully report on the statements of representatives within each simulation, no quotation should violate the dictates of diplomatic courtesy. All articles, editorials, letters, and press releases to be included in the newsletter will be carefully edited to ensure that all content remains courteous to all participants at MOP MUN. If a reporter feels that a quotation by a representative is discourteous, the representative should be encouraged to rephrase the statement in a more courteous fashion, or risk having it omitted from the reporter‟s article.
Hyphenation—Hyphens should only be applied according to British English grammar. Examples of typically hyphenated prefixes include non-, sub- and ex -. Some compound words are hyphenated as well, such as socio-political.
Italic text—Book titles and other print source names are italicized. Latin terms are also italicized, such as ad hoc, quid pro quo, and ad infinitum.
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Names—Reporters should never guess the spelling of a person‟s name to be reported. Verbal verification is mandatory on all named sources. Naturally, all proper names are capitalized.
National references—When referring to any UN Member State or Observer, standard UN country names should be used. These names match those with which each nation signed the UN Charter. For example, the People‟s Republic of China should always be referred to as “China.” Additionally, some national names are longer than those commonly used. For example, Libya is recognized at the UN as “Libyan Arab Jamahiriya.”
Numerals—Any number that is ten or less should be spelled out in English. Numbers over ten are reported using standard Arabic numerals, such as 2012. Numbers with five or more digits should include commas, such as 1,345,000. Fractions and decimal numbers should be reported as decimal numerals or percentages, such as 0.5 or 50% (rather than “one-half‟ or “1/2”). Roman numerals are used only when referring to a source which was originally designated using Roman numerals, such as Chapter VII of the UN Charter (articles of the UN Charter are written as “Article 7”). Ordinal numerals are spelled out within the text of an article, such as the First Committee of the General Assembly. In article headings or titles, it is acceptable to use ordinal abbreviations, such as 1st Committee.
Percentages—The percent symbol will be used to report percentages, for example 35.8%.
Quotation marks— As per standard British English grammar, punctuation at the conclusion of a quotation must always be included inside the closing quotation mark.
Quotations—All quoted statements within articles should be incorporated grammatically into the sentence being written. Additional capitalizations should be avoided. If only part of a sentence is being used in a quotation, an ellipsis (e.g., “…”) should be used to indicate the omitted portions of the statement. If the ellipsis comes at the end of a sentence, it should have a period at the end as well within the quotation marks to indicate the conclusion of a sentence. If, within a quotation, the speaker uses an abbreviation or reference which would be unclear to the reader, the Reporter may interject a clarification within brackets (e.g., [...]). This indicates that the bracketed information is not a direct quotation; rather, it is a clarification on the part of the author.
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Spacing—One space is used to separate words, as well as following commas, semicolons, colons and periods.
Spelling—Reporters should spell check all articles before the primary editorial deadline.
Time—The time of day should be reported numerically, with anti-meridian and post-meridian abbreviations in uppercase, no periods, and one space after the time. For example, 6:00 PM on Saturday.
Titles—The categories of title to be used include: Standard professional titles: Periods will be used on abbreviated titles, such as Mr., Ms., Dr., Pres. UN titles: The following titles will NOT be abbreviated—Secretary-General, Under-Secretary-General, Director-General, Assistant Secretary- General, Deputy Secretary-General. Representative: This title should not be abbreviated, and should be used in conjunction with the name of the representative‟s country. For example, the Representative of India.
Underlining—There is no situation in which underlining should be used in an article.
Verbs—Do not end sentences with a verb.
Votes—When covering voting in committee/council/commission simulations, reporters should only name vote totals on substantive issues, namely resolutions. Vote totals on procedural motions, such as changing agenda topics, are unnecessary. A vote total should be summarized numerically by the standard for/against/ abstentions format, for example 35/24/16 summarizes a vote of 35 in favour, 24 opposed and 16 abstentions. In an article, the reporter would also summarize the result of the vote as follows: “Resolution I failed with a vote of 24/32/17.” Resolutions which pass by consensus should be reported as such, noting the number of abstentions from the consensus. Vote totals and abstentions from consensus should be confirmed with the committee/council Vice-chair or Director, who keeps the official record of events.
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Deadlines and Contributions All reporters must strictly adhere to the deadlines allotted to them. The deadlines for articles will be specified prior to the session of a respective committee. Here are the mandatory contributions for every reporter at MOP MUN 2015: Every reporter must submit at least one beat-based article at the end of a council day. Every reporter must submit at least one opinionated editorial during the course of the MUN. Every reporter must submit at least one interview during the course of the MUN. Every reporter must regularly contribute to the social media activity of the International Press at MOP MUN 2015. Every reporter must submit one video byte during the course of the MUN. Having fulfilled the above criteria, a reporter can submit any number of additional stories that will help him/her score additional marks in the race for the prestigious „Best Reporter‟ award at MOP MUN 2015. Note: All articles, posts and tweets will be published based on the discretion of the Secretariat and the Head of the International Press at MOP MUN 2015. Articles that do not meet the required standards, or are guilty of libel/slander/derogatory language, will not be published under any circumstances.
Code of Conduct
Members of the International Press will report and behave in a manner that exhibits a spirit of diplomatic courtesy at all times.
Members of the International Press will dress modestly and in accordance with the dress code specified by the institution, or the Secretariat of MOP MUN 2015.
Members of the International Press will not indulge in any scandalous or frivolous behaviour that violates the code of conduct specified by the institution, or the Secretariat at MOP MUN 2015.
It is advisable that members of the International Press keep their phones on silent mode while in council.
Members of the International Press will not disrupt the proceedings of a council at any time. 9
Recommended Reading For Beat-based Articles: The Fourth Estate - MOP MUN 2014 LSR MUN VITC MUN 2014 For Interviews: SRM MUN 2013—Page 5 SSN MUN 2014—Page 10 For Opinionated Articles: SRM MUN 2013—Page 2 For Humour-based Articles: LSR MUN Press Conference Reports The Neutral Neon - Page 7
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