MUN International
Press Committee

The International Press (IP) is the conference's in-house media body — recording, interpreting, and communicating the proceedings of committees through writing, photography, and visual art. Where delegates debate resolutions, the IP documents them. Where committees deliberate, the IP informs. The IP holds the power and responsibility of freedom of speech within the conference space. It produces a conference newsletter that brings together journalism, photojournalism, and political cartoons into a cohesive publication — capturing not just what happened, but what it meant. In AIPPM, the IP also injects breaking-news crisis updates that political committees must formally respond to.

Journalist — Written Word

Reports, analyses, and opines on committee proceedings. Observes debates closely, researches the agenda and delegate positions, and produces articles across multiple formats. Must balance accuracy with a distinct individual voice. The 4Ws + 1H — What, Why, When, Where, How — anchor every piece.

Photographer — Camera

Gives the conference its visual memory. A single photograph can communicate what paragraphs cannot — tension in a room, an expression mid-speech, the energy of a packed committee. The photographer's job: document moments that are both journalistically meaningful and visually compelling.

Caricaturist — Drawing

The political cartoonist of the conference. Where journalists report and photographers document, caricaturists interpret. Their art distils complex debates into a single image — provoking thought, inspiring laughter, or cutting to the heart of an issue. Has no obligation to be neutral; the job is to see clearly, think critically, and draw boldly.

Beat-Based Article

The foundational form. A beat reporter covers one specific committee in depth — what arguments were made, counter-arguments raised, and conclusions reached. Strictly factual and unbiased. Think of it as the official record of what happened, written for a general reader.

Op-Ed (Opinionated Editorial)

The journalist's voice takes centre stage. Expresses a clear stance on the agenda, grounded in facts. The opinion must be established from the very first paragraph and sustained throughout. The journalist writes from the perspective of their assigned newspaper agency — a left-leaning outlet calls for a different angle than a right-leaning one.

Feature Article

The creative wing. Takes unconventional forms — a letter, diary entry, short story, or poem — to explore the human dimension of an agenda. Does not need to make a hard argument; it needs to make the reader feel something. Uses literary devices, vivid language, and emotional resonance.

Interview

A tool for accountability. Select a committee delegate and prepare 3–5 questions that probe their position, reasoning, and responsibility. The craft lies in asking questions that cannot be deflected with a vague diplomatic non-answer. Format: Question / Answer.

Filler

Short, humorous, satirical. Under 150 words. A comic or ironic take on something at the conference — a delegate's behaviour, a recurring argument, an absurd moment. Casual in tone. A release valve that keeps the newsletter human and readable.

Press Conference Review

After directly questioning delegates in a press conference, the journalist writes a report of the event: what was asked, what was said, and what it revealed. Combines the factual approach of a beat article with the accountability-driven intent of an interview.

ISO — Sensor Sensitivity

Low ISO (100–200) = clean image, requires more light. High ISO (800–3200) = works in darker rooms but introduces grain. Use the lowest ISO that lighting conditions allow.

Shutter Speed — Motion

Fast shutter (1/1000s) freezes motion — ideal for a sharp delegate expression mid-gesture. Slow shutter allows more light but blurs movement. At MUN, faster shutter speeds are generally preferred.

Aperture — Depth of Field

Wide aperture (low f/stop, e.g., f/1.8) = more light, blurred background, sharp subject. Narrow aperture (high f/stop, e.g., f/11) = keeps more of the scene in focus. Portraits: wide. Group shots: narrow.

Rule of Thirds

Divide the frame into a 3×3 grid. Place the most important element at one of the four intersections — not dead centre. Creates visual tension and balance simultaneously.

Fill the Frame & Watch the Background

When the background distracts, crop in close. Fill the frame with the subject — a face, a gesture, a detail. Before shooting, always check what is behind the subject. A cluttered background ruins an otherwise strong shot.

Lead-In Lines & Depth

Roads, tables, rows of chairs, and corridors lead the eye through the image toward the subject. Including a foreground element, midground subject, and background context gives three-dimensional depth that flat compositions lack.

Know the Issue

A cartoon cannot be sharper than the understanding behind it. Research the agenda, understand the key players' positions, and identify what is genuinely at stake. Only then can the cartoon make a point worth making. Choose a stance — attack or defend, support or counter. The clearest cartoons have a clear point of view.

Symbolism

Political cartoons compress complex ideas into a single visual using pre-loaded symbols. A globe, a scale of justice, a handshake, a wall — these carry meaning the viewer brings with them. Decide what symbol will carry your central idea before you begin drawing.

Exaggeration

The caricature distorts to reveal. Exaggerating a figure's most prominent feature makes them instantly recognizable while adding commentary. This is the oldest tool in the cartoonist's kit.

Analogy

Analogies make the unfamiliar familiar. A territorial dispute shown as two children fighting over a toy. A diplomatic deadlock as two people refusing to move through a narrow doorway. The best analogies are surprising but obvious once seen.

Irony

Depicts the opposite of what is supposed to happen — the powerful figure caught powerless, the peacekeeper causing chaos, the agreement that solves nothing. Reveals the gap between what is said and what is done.

Labels & Dialogue

Sparingly used labels clarify ambiguous elements — they should clarify, not substitute for clear drawing. Speech or thought bubbles add the final layer. The image should do most of the work; the words should finish it.

One Publication, Three Contributors

The IP is not three separate jobs running in parallel — it is one publication produced by three kinds of contributors. A journalist's article is stronger with a photograph alongside it. A caricature lands harder when it references something the reader has already read about. The newsletter works as a whole when its parts are aware of each other.

Collaboration in Practice

Journalists and photographers should share observations. A written piece and an image can be combined. A press conference review can be paired with a cartoon of the delegates being questioned. Building joint features — combining writing, image, and illustration — elevates IP work from coverage to storytelling.

What Good IP Work Looks Like

Originality (a distinct voice that could only have come from this person) · Accuracy (facts verified, positions fairly represented) · Depth (engages with what it means, not just what happened) · Craft (writing is well-structured; photographs are composed; cartoons are purposeful) · Relevance (connects to actual committee debates, not a generic treatment of the topic).

The IP Mindset

"Press is made to question, and thereby to improve." The best IP members are not just observers — they are participants in the intellectual life of the conference, using their medium to contribute to the conversation rather than simply report on it.