What is IPC?
View(s):Sri Lanka Model United Nations, best known as SLMUN, is a simulation of the United Nations. In 2008, Sri Lanka Model United Nations was born. Ever since then, it has flourished and taken over the number one spot as the largest student run Model United Nations in the whole of South Asia , accompanying over 10 committees , 100 schools and 1000 delegates.
The International Press corps or IPC for short was the brainchild of Ayshwarya Yapa who was a part of the Executive Committee of 2016. The first IPC simulation was headed by Shenali Wijesinghe under the guidance and supervision of the then prevailing Secretary General Thusitha Ranatunge and the News and Media team of SLMUN 2016. Up until 2016 IPC was a part of the Conference where the News and Media team of the Executive Committee would disperse into different committees and document the proceedings and happenings of the debates. In 2016 the International Press corps was made available to a special group of delegates known as IPC delegates. These IPC delegates would be given the role of a journalist representing a particular news agency where they would go to the committees assigned to them and write an article based on the debate or discussion in their respective committee.
Over the years, the IPC has seen a vast growth in delegate count. Beginning with just 27 delegates separated into 10 news agencies in 2016, to a slight increase up to 30 delegates separated into 5 news agencies in 2017; headed by Amana Iflal , it was not until 2018, that the International Press Corps had shown a major growth in numbers , recording a staggering 50 delegates separated into 7 news agencies. This was a result of the guidance of the Under Secretary General of News and Media Muqaddasa Wahid and Editor-in-chief Amana Iflal along with the assistance of the News and Media Team of 2018. The IPC will be headed by Shenali Perera for SLMUN 2019.
IPC journalists are different from other delegates as they are given an outlet to showcase and develop their writing skills. It is an opportunity granted to all ambitious writers to experience firsthand international journalism.
As an IPC Delegate one will be allocated to one of the news agencies present at SLMUN and one will be given the chance to be a part of a couple of mock UN committees hosted by SLMUN.
Reporters of the IPC will not merely report the council proceedings. It is not an agenda reporting but more of a debate analysis. IPC delegates will listen and analyze the debates in their respective committees and present articles at the end of each day. The delegates are given access to use their laptops, cameras and recorders to aid their article. What is expected of an IPC delegate is to deliver an article comprising these debates from any angle they have chosen within the mandate of their news agency. This may sound simple yet practically it could be quite tricky. As an inherit journalist, when reporting on these international politics to the general public, the greatest challenge is to stay unbiased of one’s personal opinions .The IPC are to build the bridge between the common community and the delegates. What journalists actually do is distorting the information at their disposal in favour of the biases of their news agency. E.g.: Al Jazeera journalists will compose their articles in favour of Middle Eastern nations.
The aim of introducing the International Press Corps to SLMUN was to encourage and develop the skills of those who look to pursue a career in journalism or even just to sharpen their skills as writers. The articles of the delegates are marked and graded by the experienced panel of the News and Media Team using a standard marking scheme. The delegates are entitled to many awards such as the Most Outstanding News Agency – the agency with the best team article. The delegate whose articles were judged as the best would win the overall prize of Best Journalist Award.
Overall, the International Press Corps has the effect of creating an environment where the main intent lies in optimizing one’s gathering, assessing, and presenting news and media. The IPC not only enables delegates to weave information into a newsworthy sensation but also allows it to be conveyed in such transparency that it helps delegates understand people’s sense of justice.
For more information please visit our website at www.slmun.org or contact 0718013722 / 0761603253 .
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- Bevan Perera