Study Guide UNNC

Oxford International School
Model United Nations Club

STUDY GUIDE
UNITED NATIONS NEWS CENTRE

Model United Nations 2022
#Refining_Resilience_Through_Sustainability

Table of Contents
Message from Executive Board Members 2
Introduction to the Committee, United Nations News Centre (UNNC) 3
Role of the Correspondents 4
Mandate of UNNC 5
Theme of UNNC at OISMUN 2022 5
Types of Submission and Activities 6
Rules & Structure of Submission 14
Style Guide 16
Ethics and Etiquettes 18
Research Methodology 19
Correspondents must carry 19
Marking Criteria 20
1

Message from Executive Board Members
Distinguished Correspondents,
We, the executive board members, are eagerly waiting to meet you all at Oxford
International School Model United Nations 2022. At the United Nations News Centre
(UNNC), we want you to exercise and showcase your writing and communication skills
blended with diplomatic knowledge. We expect you to go through this study guide and also
research on the agendas of all the committees to prepare yourself for the conference.
Consider yourself privileged to be a part of this Team, as the Press has got enormous rights
and privileges under the major Constitutions. The role of the Press is crucially important
because the world sees things as the Press presents them. However, with such great
freedom comes great responsibility too, and that here is true, honest, and diligent reporting.
We wish you all the best for OISMUN 2022. We will try our level best to provide any kind of
assistance and utmost guidance to all of you. If you have any queries, feel free to reach out
to us.
Regards,
Editor-in-Chief: Tazrin Ahmed Khan Medha
Editor: Mohtasim Bin Habib
2

Introduction to the Committee, United

Nations News Centre (UNNC)
The UN News Centre (also known as the UNNC) is neither an official working body of the
United Nations nor any part of the other committees in the UN. UNNC in this context, refers
to the collection of UN News centre agencies that gather from all the corners of the world
to report on the activities of the proceedings of various United Nations committees. Each
agency is unique in its own way, emerging from a particular country or state and has its
own cultural and ideological context. The UN News centre is a committee dedicated to the
promotion and protection of press freedom and the improvement of journalism practices.
Whether placed at the war fronts transmitting the vital information of the happenings
around the globe or embedded in the halls of the United Nations, the UNNC is an integral
component of The United Nations’ strategy to promote development, progressive social
change, democracy, human rights and peace. “Freedom of the press is the principle that
communication and expression through various media, including printed and electronic
media, especially published materials, should be considered a right to be exercised freely.”
Therefore, it is a medium through which the governments and organizations are kept
ticking, and the masses are informed about all the happenings around the world. It also
plays a vital role in voicing the public, the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights
states: Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes
freedom to hold opinions without interference, and to seek, receive, and impart information
and ideas through any media regardless of frontiers. Journalism, thus, becomes a powerful
tool for informing and educating the public about the activities and reducing the risks of
international misunderstandings at the same time.
The developments in the field of journalism have been different based on each country. But
the central role of the press in the United Nations emerged through its predecessor: The
League of Nations. In 1919, Jan Smuts, considered as one of the key persons behind the
idea and ideology of the League of Nations, published the pamphlet. The League of Nations:
A Practical Suggestion, in which he emphasized on the League’s ability to be successful
only if it received the support of ‘a powerful international public opinion.’ In Smuts’ point of
view, informing and educating the public to think in a broader international perspective
could help achieve this influential public opinion. The establishment of the United Nations
Correspondents Association (UNCA) showed another strong resolution from the UN to
maintain a strong international press. An organization of approximately 200 professional
journalists, the UNCA also consists of major news agencies, publications and broadcasters
around the world. The organization provides reporters with a direct opportunity for
resolving disagreements with the UN Secretariat itself.
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Moreover, the UNCA sponsors press briefings, awards and journalism fellowships at the UN.
Considering the vast development of the Internet and the increase in direct and instant
journalism facilities enabled by social media, the media’s crucial role in international affairs
will only continue to grow in the future. As agents of the press, you must respect the role of
the press in the past, while pushing its goals and aspirations into the future.
Role of the Correspondents
As a Correspondent of the UNNC, you will have an all-access and exclusive pass to
interview and interrogate delegates at Press conferences, wiretap national secrets and
expose them, report gross foreign policy violations, as well as observe un-moderated
caucuses to get an inside scoop of the delegates’ informal debate. If done right, with great
passion and the skill of artful communication, your work has the potential to change the
outcome of the debate of any committee.
It is imperative for the Journalists to be well researched in all of the agendas prior to the
MUN. Your research and knowledge in the given agenda(s) will be reflected on how well you
deal with the committee proceedings and use your research in your write-ups, interviews,
the press conference and most importantly while giving breaking news. It is essential to
pick up the necessary information and understand the content of the negotiations, and the
controversial statements, to expose the secrets and the plot twists. It is also important to
have research in order to capture the very essence of the talks and to be able to
understand, “this is NEWS!” because we only hear what we want to hear.
It is highly encouraged that you start your preparation as early as possible so that you can
efficiently and effectively produce brilliant pieces of work. As a dedicated body of
journalists and reporters representing numerous news agencies, we hope to produce
globally relevant information with utmost reliability. Journalists and reporters are expected
to be punctual to the committee(s) and maintain strict deadlines given to you for
submitting your respective work. Please do keep yourselves observant and aware of
everything happening in the committee -which will help you gather enough information to
produce reports/newsletters at the end of each day.
4

Mandate of UNNC
The correspondents of UNNC have the authority to interview any member of the
secretariat, delegate or even executive board members on their consent. They can also
interrogate and ask questions to the delegates during press conferences. Exposing hidden
plots, revealing violations of international law and thwarting propaganda of different states
are all part of a correspondent’s toolkit. During committee sessions, journalists can observe
and analyze the actions of delegates but they aren’t allowed to break the flow of the
debate under any circumstances. Journalists can also intercept chits sent by the delegates
to uncover diplomatic communication going on behind the scenes. They also have the
privilege to directly witness the delegates of a committee during an unmoderated caucus,
which will give them a better understanding about the proceedings of the committee.
Theme of UNNC at OISMUN 2022
“Technological Advancements in Modern Journalism: Ensuring equitable access to

information and privacy”
In the modern world, technology has connected everyone and brought people in one place.
While this has made communication and socialisation easier than ever, it has also created
certain problems. Information spreads like wildfire on the social media. Especially
information and news that is shocking in nature gets the most attention. However, not
everyone sees the same news on the internet. Due to technological advancements, big
companies and political parties can now showcase their media directly targeting the
desired audience. For example, the Ads people in Bangladesh see on the internet is
completely different from what Americans would see. Even within the same region, each
individual is exposed to different forms of media. As a result, there is a unequal distribution
of news.
Privacy has also become a serious concern in the digital world. Everyone carries a
smartphone and is now online. This gives each individual the power to record something
and share it online. It poses a serious threat to privacy. No one can control what is to be
shared on the social media. According to a recent study, 80% of social media users say they
are worried about businesses and advertising accessing and utilizing their social
5

media posts. These growing privacy concerns have prompted advocacy for stricter
regulations. Additionally, they have increased scrutiny on businesses in charge of
protecting personal data. Another rising concern, exacerbated by Cambridge Analytica’s
breach of Facebook data, centers on how bad actors access private data from social media
platforms and elsewhere and use it to manipulate opinions for the benefit of a few. For
instance, the Russian organization Internet Research Agency is charged with meddling in
the 2016 U.S. presidential election by disseminating false information on social media that
stoked animosity and mistrust.
There is an old saying in journalism, “If your mother says she loves you, double source it.” It
is unfortunate to see how relevant this age-old saying is, even in the 21st century. News
agencies and the media are in a unique position to control what our general citizens read
every-day and believe in. This, in turn, pushes a burden and a sense of responsibility within
ourselves to ensure that we’re doing justice to our role. The task is simple, spread the right
information; criticize and call-out misinformation.
Types of Submission and Activities
As a journalist, you have to write a lot. The bulk of writing for the newsletter will consist of
news reporting, drawing upon debates, caucuses, resolutions, press releases and
interviews observed by you at the conference. Depending on the availability of personnel,
each correspondent will be assigned one or more committee/council simulations on which
they will have to report. They may also be assigned to conduct interviews during the
intervals. Correspondents of UNNC will not merely report the council proceedings but also
draw upon the debate and analyze it. At OISMUN 2022, we will be taking the following
forms of submissions and activites for UNNC,
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The details of each of the submission categories and activities are explained in detail below
with relevant sample documents:
1. News Updates: News Updates are short and precise but important news that needs to
be brought under the limelight. A Correspondent needs to have adequate knowledge
about the agenda of the committee they would be assigned in. This adequate
knowledge will help them to understand the flow of debate of that certain committee
and thus they will be able to bring good and relevant updates. There are three types of
news updates which are explained below,
a) Breaking News: As the name suggests, breaking news is basically

Important and shocking news that needs to be brought under the limelight
immediately. It should be written in a short and precise manner.
b) Live Updates: Live updates contain Information that is important for the
world to know but not exactly a shocking one. This is similar to news headlines
that are broadcasted on television channels.
7

c) Crisis Updates: Oftentimes a committee goes into crisis situation.

Correspondents of UNNC at times may be required to assist the simulation of
Crisis Sessions of different committees or councils to inform the world about the
crisis situation.
2. Articles: The bulk of writing for the newsletter will consist of news reporting,
drawing upon debates (moderated and un-moderated caucuses) and resolutions,
depending on the availability of personnel, individual reporters will be assigned one or
more committee/council simulations on which to report. Every article must include a
suitable title, a by-line, correspondent’s name and agency name along with the article
write-up itself. The three types of articles are explained below,
a) Beat based article: A beat-based article is essentially a specialized article

wherein the journalist presents an in-depth coverage of a particular issue,
situation, institution, or likewise, and which also involves amassment of more
knowledge than a traditional news report. A beat-based article is a factual article
detailing an argument of a particular aspect of the agenda. The beat should be a
central idea around which the contents of the article are formed. One shall be
able to identify the beat of the day's discussion only through careful observation
and attention; hence it is necessary for the reporters to be present, mentally and
physically, during all formal sessions. A Press Corp should try to make it
expressive, but not narrative.
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b) Opinion Editorial (Op-ed): The first step to writing any opinion editorial is
research. Research does not just include finding or verifying facts but also
examining different perspectives on an issue. Op-ed reflects an individual’s views.
It is supposed to be a presentation of views, yet abstinence from being
subjective. We expect everyone to substantiate their opinion with educated
research.
9

10

c) Feature article: Research does not just include finding or verifying facts but
also examining different perspectives on an issue. Op-ed reflects an individual’s
views. It is supposed to be a presentation of views, yet abstinence from being
subjective. We expect everyone to substantiate their opinion with educated
research.
11

3. Interviews: An interview provides an opportunity of a personal interaction with a

particular delegate, EB or Secretariat. It should be utilized to bring out those aspects
which will not come to light otherwise in the course of the MUN. Both Executive Board
members, delegates, organizing committee- anyone and everyone- can be
interviewed as long as you make the interview relevant. However, the reporter is
expected to ask questions pertaining to pertinent issues only. Please refrain from
asking irrelevant questions. Interviews can be submitted in two forms which are
explained below:
a) Written/Scripted Interview: In this format, you are expected to submit an

interview article or a dialogue conversation. You can ask 3 to 4 questions for the
interview.
b) Audio/Video Interview: You can directly record your interview conversation

and submit it. However, for OISMUN 2022 we won’t be accepting audio
interviews, only video format is acceptable. Try to make the video as short as
possible like not longer than 2 minutes. For video interview, try not to ask the
interviewees more than three questions. For better interview environment and
sound find a relatively calm place.
4. Briefing Session:
a) Press Briefing: After completing the assigned duties at different committees

and councils the reporters are requested to return to their room for the Press
Briefing. In this session, correspondents must give a short speech (60 seconds or
90 seconds) on the progress of their assigned committee. These specific terms
for the Press Briefing will be appointed through motions that requires simple
majority voting procedures.
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b) Crisis Briefing: Crisis Briefings usually succeed a crisis session. It is usually up

to the UN News centre Executive Board to conduct the briefings prior to the
press conference. It precedes press conferences which briefs/prepares the
committee on the Press Conference at hand. It is usually up to the UN News
centre Executive Board to conduct the briefings prior to the press conference.
5. Press Conference: If a Press Conference is held in the committee the reporter is

present in, the reporter is required to write an article, which should include detailed
description of everything which took place during the Press Conference. It must be
descriptive, yet factual. It has to be submitted on the same day, the Press Conference
took place. A reporter should include as many factual details and quotes as possible,
within the context of the Press Conference. The basic ingredient of the press
conference is research. You will be allowed to ask 4-5 delegates of your councils
polite subsidiary questions (in the form of POIs: Point of Information) on probably the
second or the third day of the conference, with the prior permission of your Executive
Board. You will be trained and guided by your EB Members for the press conference in
the briefing. However, the opportunity to conduct a press conference will be
subjected to the time constraints that the organizers have. Their permission and word
will be deemed final.
6. Press Release: Press release is usually given by either the delegates’ or the Dias
members, or as a joint press release, to the correspondent in question. The
correspondent in question is obliged to send it in for publication the moment it is
received by the Journalists.
13

Rules & Structure of Submission:
Deadlines: Following deadlines for submissions is one of the most important job of the
correspondents. Understand that you not following deadlines will impact a chain of events
causing much trouble. Not adhering to deadlines is unacceptable and frowned upon, as
well as affects deduction of marks. You will be made aware of the deadlines in your
briefing.
Format: At OISMUN 2022, most of the submissions will be taken over either email or
google form. All types of articles, transcriptions of interviews, news updates and other
necessary submissions must be submitted through the designated medium to the
executive board members within the given deadline.
For your article, inclusion of a title and a by-line is a must. You article should consist of
3 to 4 paragraphs. Word limit of the article/interviews will be provided by the editors
during task assignment.
Document formatting:
Title- TNR 18/Cambria 24, Bold, Alignment-Middle
By-line- TNR (Italics) 13/Monotype Corsiva 13, Alignment- Justified
Main Body- TNR 12/ Calibri 11, Alignment-Justified, Line Spacing- 1.5
Format for saving file: Agency Name_Day ( )_Type of Submission with Serial
(Mandatroy/ Bonus) Example: Reuters_Day 1_ Beat Based Article (Mandatory 1)
For your News updates, word Limit is 80- 100 letters/characters. Correspondents
must mention their agency name, assigned committee, its agenda and News type
with serial along with the news they want to publish. For serial, say update 1.2 (1
represents day number and 2 represents serial of the update. An example is
provided below:
14

Tips for writing Articles: The articles must be coherent and well-structured. They
ought to contain an identifiable opening, one or two descriptive paragraphs, and a
conclusion. The articles must be brief and to the point. You may submit a sketch,
photograph or a short video clip with a suitable caption, to accompany your article.
Grammar and punctuation usage are the key points to be cautious about. A spellcheck
of the final draft is essential. The title can be a phrase, one liner, a word or anything that
justifies your article. Do not make the title too long. Remember, correspondents must not
bring in their personal views and emotions while writing the article.
15

Style Guide
This section will help you out to maintain the basic rules of a Journalist which will also ensure
that your submissions gets points and it’s legal. If you follow these rules, you will be close
enough to achieve your goals in this conference.
The Inverted Pyramid Structure: This is a writing style used by journalists and writers to
illustrate how information should be prioritized in a text, such as a news report. The widest
part at the top represents the most substantial, interesting, and important information the
writer means to convey, followed by the middle part which includes important details and
then the third part which has secondary and general information.
Prioritization: Your submissions need to be submitted and prioritized according to its

contents. The articles that you think is of utmost importance and must absolutely be
conveyed should be worked upon first. The other articles should similarly follow.
Emotions: Delegates do not feel. We do not know what they are feeling. Hence, refrain from
using the word feel in context to a delegate’s emotion.
Research: Make sure that your articles are always backed by research. Anything you
choose to report or write has to have credibility, which can only be provided by research.
Referring Countries and Delegates: Use the proper name for all countries on first
reference and abbreviations on second reference. For example, the Republic of Korea and
Korea. Never refer to delegates by their name. Use instead, for example, Delegate of India on
first reference and India on second reference
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Plagiarism and Professionalism: As Correspondents, you should never indulge in

plagiarism of any sort. Any article that is submitted to the Editors has to be original. If any
acts of plagiarism are found, the journalist might be suspended. To be professional means
to adhere to all basic ethical norms. You are to never let your personal feelings towards
any Delegate/ Country/ Delegation/ Person affect your articles or reports. You are to
remain unbiased and represent the interest of your assigned Media Outlet.
Consis-tense-y: Stick to one tense throughout the article. Ideally, use the past tense.
Punctuation: Your articles should be properly punctuated. For better understanding of

punctuations, please refer https://www.englishclub.com/writing/punctuation.htm. Your
performance will inherently be marked down if your submissions are not written properly,
which is inclusive of your punctuation.
Contractions: Do not use contractions like can’t, don’t, etc. Expand them, it helps to
increase your word count and appears to be more formal.
Capitalization: Proper capitalization should be used. Nowhere shall any other text but
commonly accepted abbreviations be capitalized.
Spelling: Please get your spellings right. Microsoft Word squiggles help you with that,
listen to them. Note: British English is the standard, though American English is acceptable
too under certain circumstances, and we will stick to it. For convenience, in MS Word, it is
“English (UK)”.
Short and Simple: Use short and simple sentences that clearly portray what you’re trying
to communicate.
Acronyms: If you want to use abbreviations, you must mention the full form first in your
writing along with the abbreviations, then when you use the word next time in your article
you may use the abbreviated form.
Numbers: Numerals up to ten and multiples of ten up to a hundred should be written in

words and not in digits unless in the case of a date or year being mentioned. For example:
I turn twenty in 2016. However, decimals, percentages and roman numerals can be used
as and when required.
Quoting: All quotations used in the article should mention the source it has been derived
from. If only a part of a sentence is being used, then ellipses (...) should be used to indicate
the same.
17

Titular Expansion: The titles mentioned in your text should not be abbreviated. For
example: Chairperson should not become Chair or Secretary General should not become
Sec Gen.
Referential Difference: When referring to any nation or organization, the standard UN

country and organization names should be used. For example: Use China instead of using
People’s Republic of China. Refer here for the names: http://www.un.org/en/members/
Ethics and Etiquettes
This section contains some necessary and crucial etiquettes that the correspondents must
follow in order to write proper articles.
Reporters should try to write their articles on their designated committee.

You may interview delegates during un-moderated caucuses if you would like to know
more details about what is being discussed.
Avoid using “I” in any of your writing.
Use the editorial and writing style of your respective news source when writing your
articles (e.g. If your news source is very left wing and strongly advocates for equality, make
sure your writing style reflects this ideology- this is not being opinionated, this is writing
according to the standard and style of the news source)
Refer to delegates by the country or representative party they are representing i.e. Delegate
of Guatemala
Journalists will be strongly encouraged to submit articles in English except correspondents
assigned in committees where primary medium of communication is in Bangla/any other
language.
Journalists are expected to remain professional and respectful during the course of the
conference and remain on their assigned tasks.
Journalists are expected to maintain decorum when committee session is going on i.e. avoid
using social media or making unnecessary noise during formal sessions (GSL, Moderated
Caucus, Press conference etc.)
Journalists are thoroughly advised against plagiarizing. Anyone caught doing so will
automatically be disqualified and disregarded for awards.
18

Reporters are encouraged to speak with Representatives or Secretariat as needed to

produce their content for the newsletter while simulations are in a suspension of their
normal rules. When interviewing, reporters must be certain to get the interviewee’s full
name and country representation or Secretariat title. Before taping or shooting the
interview, you must take proper permission of the interviewee.
Research Methodology
In order to excel as correspondent in an MUN, the key to success is proper research and
preparation. Here are some tips to help you with that:
Research is very imperative when it comes to journalism. It is necessary to back your write-
ups and newsletters with facts to relate to the content of your writing.
You must be adequately prepared to understand the debate.
Go through the background of the agency you have been assigned.
Go through the background of the agency’s country.
Go through the agendas of the committees and have a clear idea about the agenda and the
stances, foreign policy and perspectives of the important nations associated with the
agenda.
Go through the backgrounds for basic understanding of the agenda and then the
documents and links it mentions. The study guide can be provided if requested.
Understanding the legal, social, cultural and economic implications of the debate.
Correspondents must carry
During the conference, every correspondents must carry the following items:
Laptop
Notepad & necessary stationery
Audio recording device (Mobile phone/Camera/Microphone)
Mobile phone
Mobile data
Pen drive
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Marking Criteria
Correspondents are assessed by the executive board members based on a number of criterias.
Here is a detailed breakdown of the things that will be judged and marked upon:
The marks for each section will be revealed later on. The grand total marks would be 100. Marks
for each individual criteria can range from 5 to 25 marks. Irrespective of what marks you get or
what awards you achieve, always try to focus on what you learn out of a conference.
20

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Oxford International School

Model United Nations Club

Oxford International School

Message from Executive Board Members 2

Introduction to the Committee, United Nations News Centre (UNNC) 3

Role of the Correspondents 4

Theme of UNNC at OISMUN 2022 5

Types of Submission and Activities 6

Rules & Structure of Submission 14

Ethics and Etiquettes 18

Correspondents must carry 19

Message from Executive Board Members

Introduction to the Committee, United

Role of the Correspondents

Theme of UNNC at OISMUN 2022

“Technological Advancements in Modern Journalism: Ensuring equitable access to

Types of Submission and Activities

a) Breaking News: As the name suggests, breaking news is basically

c) Crisis Updates: Oftentimes a committee goes into crisis situation.

a) Beat based article: A beat-based article is essentially a specialized article

3. Interviews: An interview provides an opportunity of a personal interaction with a

a) Written/Scripted Interview: In this format, you are expected to submit an

b) Audio/Video Interview: You can directly record your interview conversation

a) Press Briefing: After completing the assigned duties at different committees

b) Crisis Briefing: Crisis Briefings usually succeed a crisis session. It is usually up

5. Press Conference: If a Press Conference is held in the committee the reporter is

Rules & Structure of Submission:

Prioritization: Your submissions need to be submitted and prioritized according to its

Plagiarism and Professionalism: As Correspondents, you should never indulge in

Punctuation: Your articles should be properly punctuated. For better understanding of

Numbers: Numerals up to ten and multiples of ten up to a hundred should be written in

Referential Difference: When referring to any nation or organization, the standard UN

Ethics and Etiquettes

Reporters should try to write their articles on their designated committee.

Reporters are encouraged to speak with Representatives or Secretariat as needed to

Correspondents must carry

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