A journalist for a weekend - My experience participating in the IPC

 

Chennai International MUN, a student-led MUN, was conducted on the 3rd and 4th of July. It was a non-profit event, with the Purpose Driven Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to educating the neglected, receiving all the profit. There were a total of 5 committees - DISEC, Commission on Status of Women (CSW), Futuristic General Assembly (FGA) 2040,

Joint Crisis Committee (JCC) and International Press Corps (IPC). I participated in the IPC as the delegate of Reuters. Representing Reuters, I was assigned to report on the happenings of the CSW, whose topic was, in summary, women’s health during pandemic times. The IPC had its own agenda as well, which was the influence of authoritarianism on journalism. 

On the first day, the 3rd of July, the members of the Press were designated to describe the happenings of their respective committees. Having previously experienced being a delegate in a committee like the CSW, it was a distinct feeling to only observe and record the occurrences in committee. At first, before the heated debates began, being restricted to only view the proceedings and have no say in them was frustrating. However, I soon realized that actively participating in the debate meant missing out on minor details that could be noticed when you were focused on only listening. As Catherine Pulsifer said, “It is hard to listen when you are talking, or when you are thinking of a response!” 

The next day, we focused on our agenda, the influence of authoritarianism on journalism. The day was filled with riveting discussions to come up with creative solutions to circumvent censorship in journalism. The IPC functioned quite similarly to a normal committee with a pinch of uniqueness, and the executive board were very accommodating and helpful, as most of the delegates were novice journalists. The conference ended with the IPC passing a Joint Press Statement, highlighting the possible rules, regulations and systems that could be enforced to reduce authoritarianism in the press, and support censured reporters.

Overall, this experience was a refreshing change to the relative normalcy of other committees. Juggling reports on the CSW with tight deadlines and preparing speeches and researching for the IPC’s schedule, all while noting down everything then CSW delegates said and keeping an eye on the developments in the CSW and the IPC was extremely exacting, keeping me on my toes (or rather fingers!). I developed an understanding of some of the hurdles journalists face in their career, though in much simpler circumstances compared to those they probably deal with. I also understood the excitement and relief journalists surely experience, when a report is completed, or when a completely unexpected and newsworthy situation pops up. Will I accept another opportunity to be a journalist again, if only for a weekend? Most assuredly, yes!

 ~Poorvi Sanath-9IGCSE