Letter from the Secretariat
Dear Correspondents,
Welcome to SylMUN 2026! Your role as the voice and observer of this conference
is crucial in capturing the essence of the debates and discussions that will shape
our journey toward impactful resolutions. We are delighted to have you as part of
this dynamic committee.
This year’s theme, "Equilibrium with Equity: Making Amends for Past
Transgressions and Forging a Tomorrow Free from Prejudice," underscores the
importance of accountability and collaboration in addressing global challenges. As
members of the International Press, you hold the responsibility of documenting
these discussions with accuracy, insight, and integrity, ensuring that the stories of
diplomacy and progress reach a wider audience.
The International Press is a hub of creativity and analysis. We encourage you to
approach your work with curiosity, professionalism, and a commitment to
excellence. Your articles, interviews, and reports will not only document the
proceedings but also amplify voices and perspectives that deserve to be heard.
We look forward to witnessing the thoughtful and engaging work you will produce
as part of SylMUN 2025. Together, let’s ensure that the spirit of diplomacy and
dialogue is reflected in every story you tell.
Warm regards,
The Secretariat Board
SylMUN 2026
Table of Contents
Agenda ..............................................................................................................................5
About the Committee ....................................................................................................... 6
The role of correspondents ................................................................................................6
Sample Press Release ....................................................................................................... 7
Breaking News and Live Updates .................................................................................... 8
Format of submitting breaking news ................................................................................ 8
Interviews ...........................................................................................................................9
Points to remember for conducting an Interview ...............................................................9
Press Conference.................................................................................................................9
News Bulletin .................................................................................................................. 10
Article .............................................................................................................................. 10
Types of articles .............................................................................................................. 10
Reporting Etiquette ..........................................................................................................12
Additional rules ............................................................................................................... 14
What to research ...............................................................................................................14
Agenda
There is no predetermined agenda for the International Press (IP) in SylMUN
2026. As journalists, your role is to act as a bridge between all participants,
documenting and disseminating the significant activities of the conference.
Your primary focus will be on reporting the diplomatic affairs within committee
sessions, capturing the essence of debates and negotiations. Additionally, you
will document events such as plenary sessions and any other assignments
provided by your Executive Board.
The overarching theme of the conference, “Equilibrium with Equity: Making
Amends for Past Transgressions and Forging a Sustainable, Prejudice-Free
Tomorrow,” invites delegates to address agendas aligned with fostering justice,
inclusivity, and sustainability. As part of the International Press, you are
encouraged to highlight the promises, contributions, and, where applicable,
controversial stances of leaders as they work toward achieving global equity
and reconciliation. Your reporting should not only inform but also inspire
dialogue on how past wrongs can be rectified to build a fair and harmonious
future
About the Committee
Introduction to International Press (IP)
The International Press, as the name indicates, is a simulation of the press corps. The
correspondents of the International Press Corps are appointed to cover the work of the
committees of the Model United Nations through executing interviews, writing articles,
and publishing news to notify the public about what is happening at the conference.
Essentially, the IP correspondents work as a bridge between everyone attending the
conference. The international press holds world leaders accountable by analyzing and
documenting their words and actions, which promote good governance and human
rights. The press can give voice to the marginalized and raise awareness for justice. It
can help in peacekeeping by reporting the root causes of an issue and stimulating
dialogue between parties. It can also enable cultural exchanges. The significance of free
and independent press is crucial in promoting democracy, human rights, and sustainable
development.
Verbal Briefing Press Release The International Press Institute, founded in 1950, is
steadfast in facilitating and safeguarding press freedom and the improvement of
journalism practice. The membership consists of editors and media executives from
some of the most notable media outlets.
The role of correspondents
The correspondents must actively work on collecting/conducting/producing/passing various
forms of media for the IP to deliver. Such as,
Verbal Briefing
The IP correspondents are sent to different committees for observation, and by the end
of each day, the correspondents must describe what they have observed in their allocated
committees in brief.
Press Release
An update that comes from a committee needs to be published and written by a delegate or an
executive board member. The correspondent must take a picture of it and send it to the
executive board member of the IP. It can also be a communique, or a declaration sent by an
authority of a country for the public
Sample Press Release
Breaking News and Live Updates
Attention! For example,
A live update is a regular update from a committee which is interesting but not unusual.
The correspondents will send updates to the IP from the committee session they are in, and
the IP will publish the ones it finds most suitable.
Format of submitting breaking news
Breaking News Number (Submission number): …………………………………………
Agency Name: ………………………………………………………………………………
Committee: ………………………………………………………………………………….
Interviews
Correspondents are required to interview any of the delegates or executive board
members present in the committee to get an overall description of the program and
progress of work of the committee, and if there is any update.
Points to remember for conducting an Interview
Do background research on the committee, agenda, countries
Adapt: Do not necessarily stick to your prepared questions if you can get
better, more meaningful information,
Stick to not more than 3-4 questions per delegate,
Keep the transcribing concise and to the point,
Include all important information the interviewee speaks about,
Be authentic and feel free about speaking on issues while interviewing
All interviews have to be submitted in a questions/answers form.
Remember the following components that are essential to any news story and can be
provided by a source or anyone a journalist speaks with:
Basic factual data
Perspective and context on the subject at hand
Direct quotes, and suggestions for how to approach the story
Names and contact details of more sources to interview
Press Conference
All the correspondents as well as the executive board members of IP will be present
in the committees for the press conference where the correspondents will get to ask
questions to the delegates. It is important not only for the correspondents but for the
delegates as well
News Bulletin
Every day of the conference, IP will publish a news bulletin where each correspondent
must submit articles on topics instructed by their executive board members with
interesting headlines and a specific word limit (as instructed)
The correspondents have to write and submit different types of articles based on their
observations, interviews, and other sources through which they collected information
about the conference.
Article
Types of articles
Beat Articles
Beat-based article is a type of article that revolves around a subject, known as the
beat. It is a specialized piece that requires in-depth research and offers more
knowledge to the reader. The beat is to be taken from the proceedings and
happenings of the committee and must be a topic important enough to attract
readership. It will assume the role of the article's primary focus, and the content
should slavishly adhere to the main theme. Make sure you are attentive enough in
the committee so you can observe the form and structure of the conversation to
capture the beat. You can choose your article's main topic and gather information
during the first half of the day and then utilize the second half of the day to support
it with facts. Remember that,
A beat-based article is a focused, factual piece that may contain direct statements
from delegates as well as statistical information.
It is just limited to what is happening in the committee surrounding the beat and
the facts associated with it, and it has no demand for a personal opinion.
The information utilized in a beat-based piece should be accurate, including the
delegates' names and the information provided.
The credibility of the piece is increased by the inclusion of genuine information and
direct quotes from the delegates.
Once the beat is determined by the committee, the reporter is free to throw light
on a particular area of the subject based on their study.
Opinion Editorial
Here, the journalist shares their point of view in addition to discussing the topic at
hand
An Op-ed must clearly express its opinion, which must come over in the literary
style used. Opeds serve a variety of purposes, including but not limited to:
Defending an idea and/or offering arguments against it
Providing background information and/or historical context for a current situation
Highlighting elements/dimensions that "news items" have not before covered
Make recommendations or a plan of action.
Describe a thought or concept
Research is important to an opinion editorial, as was already mentioned. Without
thorough study, one cannot establish an opinion, and poorly researched papers are of
poor quality. Additionally, you need to articulate yourself such that your idea is made
very obvious.
Things to consider while writing an opinion: Keep in mind that we're not seeking an
essay that takes a generally comprehensive and impartial stance; rather, we're
searching for an article that expresses your ideas well while taking a position because
your perspective cannot be neutral. Here, constructive criticism—that is, expressing
criticism in a way that makes your point clearly without offending a Member Nation
—is crucial since it encourages them to work on the mentioned issues.
Things to consider while writing an opinion:
It should be supported by facts, but not necessarily include them.
You must be succinct and direct because there is a word limit.
It must communicate viewpoints, but opinions do not equate to illogical arguments.
The author of an Op-ed is free to cover as many points in their argument as they see fit,
But it is important to ensure that the points made are clear.
Arguments should be understood in a way that leads to a final concluding paragraph rather
than simply ending abruptly
Features
Features are pieces in which a journalist can express their creativity to the fullest.
Features give the journalist the chance to express their creativity in the form of
poetry, prose, diary entries, open letters, and much more. They are fundamentally
less significant or relevant than an OpEd or a Report/Beat. The correspondents
may even write articles featuring any person in the conference describing their
hobbies and experiences.
However, despite the freedom, we highly encourage the feature articles to be kept
as relevant as possible to the conference and get creative within this boundary.
Reporting Etiquette
Marking on written documents will depend upon:
Grammatical range and accuracy
Lexical resource
Coherence and cohesion
Style of writing
Quality of content
Research
Task achievement
Adherence to submission time
In writing an article or any other written documents, the following
instructions must be followed:
Prioritizing information that is crucial and interesting
Being consistent in one form of tense, ideally past tense
Using proper punctuation
Avoid contractions
Avoid unnecessary elaborations
For using acronyms, remember to expand the first time and use the
abbreviations, thereafter. Only accepted abbreviations and common acronyms
should be used.
One space should be used between each word, as well as after commas,
semicolons, colons, and periods
Use capitalization where needed
Get your spelling right
Use clear and precise wording and sentences
Numerals up to ten and multiples of ten up to a hundred should be written in
words instead of digits. The exception is in cases of mentioning a date or year
Mention source while using quotation
Keep the articles in Font: Times New Roman font and size: 12
Use references
Other standards correspondents should follow:
Following agency policies
Meeting deadline
Avoiding using personal pronouns
Not making assumptions regarding how someone's name is
written/spelled/pronounced
Using taboo phrases, e.g. Third World Countries
Modifying informal or inappropriate statements of delegates without changing
the factual information
Be respectful
Do not plagiarize
Mention delegates as the representative of their country name
Articles must be between 150-200 words
Additional rules
Correspondents must carry their laptop or portable devices and pen drive.
Correspondents cannot interrupt formal committee sessions.
Upon obtaining the permission of the Executive Board members of the
allocated committee, the correspondent may take pictures or videos of the
committee sessions.
Respecting conference rules, staff, and all other attendees.
What to research
Background of the assigned agency
Background of the agency's country
Agendas of committees
Further instructions will be provided by the executive board members of IP
during the workshop.