Letter from the Secretary General Esteemed Delegates,

It is my sincere pleasure to welcome you to the 12th annual

United Nations Society Fall conference, CarleMUN 2015. This year, I

have the distinct honour of serving as the Secretary General of

CarleMUN, and I hope to meet all of you throughout the conference.

For those of you who are new to the UNS, CarleMUN will be a new

experience – full of surprises and excitement – and will hopefully

inspire you to continue participating in MUN for years to come.

While the initial research may seem overwhelming, the background

guides may seem immense, the committee room may seem

daunting and large; you will find your feet.

The United Nations Society has always seen Model UN as more

than just a chance to debate contemporary issues in international

affairs; more than simply a chance to take what you have learned in

class and apply it to the real-world. It is an opportunity to engage

with a diverse range of students in an academic and social context

and refine your skills of negotiation, diplomacy, communication,

creativity, collaboration, and quick thinking.

As you navigate the conference weekend, both inside and

outside of the committee room, I would encourage you to consider

the role that your participation will play. As I will repeat throughout

the year, you will only get out of MUN what you are willing to put in.

Though somewhat cliché, it is appropriate for an activity that relies

almost exclusively on delegate participation.

I will leave you with one final thought before you join us on

September 25th for the Opening Ceremonies of CarleMUN. Whether

you have been doing Model United Nations for years, or whether this

is your first, brave venture into the unknown, you will be stepping

into a room of people each with their own passions, perspectives and

philosophies. Embrace the opportunity to meet new people, gain

new experiences and hone your skills as a global citizen.

Sincerely,

Alex Berryman

President, United Nations Society

Secretary General, CarleMUN 2015

The International Press Forum The Fourth Estate

Letter from the Editor

Dear International Press Forum delegates,

It is with pleasure that I welcome you to this year’s CarleMUN, and

to the IPF. Over the course of this conference, you will be treated to a

unique Model United Nations experience no other kind of committee

can provide. While most delegates will be concerned with ideological

sparring, standing on each other’s shoulders, and geopolitical power

moves, you will be playing on the open field of ideas.

Your mission is to spread word, to shout, to connect—to make people

aware of the events that unfold around them, sometimes even to the

chagrin of the people making those events happen. A wide range of

things will unfold over the course of CarleMUN, and it is up to you to

make sure that their story is told.

Calum Smith Managing Editor, IPF CarleMUN 2015 media@unsociety.com

Procedure This IPF comprises a team of journalists, one Editor in Chief, and one

Managing Editor. These reporters will, under the direction of the

Editors, write and publish Carleton Daily for the weekend. Carleton

Daily will be found at ipf.unsociety.com, and will collect the finest

reporting on the events of CarleMUN’s various committees. It will

aim to cut through the noise of the conference, delivering reporting

so insightful that other delegates will watch the coverage of their

own committees just to get a leg up.

Reporters are expected to write pieces of approximately 200-400

words in length documenting the events of all other committees, and

submit them by email to the Editors. They should strive to uncover

the stories surrounding the official events of the committees,

bringing light to things that could otherwise go unnoticed, and to

create a more rich dialogue around the conference. These stories

will be published throughout the conference, as well as being

featured and promoted by the Editors as the conference progresses

and stories develop. Reporters may tweet more informal, short-form

work using #CarleMUN, although this is not required, and reporters

who are unable, or otherwise do not use Twitter, will not be

penalized.

Any subject within the bounds of the conference is fair game on

which to report, if the delegate and Editors deem it newsworthy.

Furthermore, as no story is ever fully closed, delegates are welcome

to develop upon each other’s coverage, provided that they attribute

original reporting per accepted journalistic practices, and add to the

conversation surrounding the original story.

Distribution Daily will be distributed primarily through its website,

ipf.unsociety.com, which will be displayed throughout the

conference in other committees. It will be promoted via Twitter by

its Editors at @uns_ipf, leaving the reporters to focus on their

writing.

Preparation In the interest of preparedness, there are a number of tools the

delegates should have on hand. Firstly, it is essential that delegates

have a laptop computer, or comparably capable device, with

which to write their pieces for Daily. It is also recommended that

delegates bring a notepad/book and accompanying pen/pencil

for note-taking, a camera and audio recorder, or a phone with

equivalent capability, and earphones for transcribing of

recordings in what may at times be a busy environment.

News Outlets A diverse array of news sources from across the globe have been

selected to participate in the CarleMUN IPF, headquartered across

nine countries spanning four continents, and comprising hundreds

of combined bureaus. Each has its own distinct perspective and way

of covering all the events that will take place over the course of the

conference.

Each delegate will be assigned a publication from the following list,

and their responsibility will be to represent it among the IPF,

writing from its standpoint and in its style. Delegates are to

familiarize themselves with the nuances of their organization’s

particular voice, and its social, economic, and political values, to

provide the most accurate portrayal of their outlet possible.

The New York Times – New York City, USA All the news that’s fit to print, with over 100 Pulitzers to show for it.

One of the world’s, and certainly America’s, most revered and

established newspapers, the Times is the de facto news source of the

American city dweller, and leans socially left as American

publications go, owing, according to its once-ombudsman, to its

cosmopolitan origins in New York City.

Al Jazeera – Doha, Qatar The state news organization of Qatar, owned in part by the Qatari

royal family, Al Jazeera (literally The Peninsula) is one of the

largest news organizations in the world, particularly from the

Middle East. Traditionally making a point to represent multiple

sides of any issue, although some dispute this claim, it is a driving

force in the global conversation, and the leading voice of the Arabian

Peninsula.

The Times of India – Mumbai, India The largest-selling English language newspaper in the world, and

one of the largest papers in India, TOI prefers to stay up-to-date with

the interests and opinions of the public, tending to a liberal, secular

view of current issues. They have been accused of aligning with

India’s government in the past, but have been decreasingly hesitant

to voice dissenting opinions in recent years.

People’s Daily – Beijing, China China’s second-most widely circulated newspaper, People’s Daily is

the official paper of the Chinese Communist Party. It has been called

a “mouthpiece” for the CCP, and is widely analyzed as one of the

most public and constant indicators of the opinion of the Chinese

Government, with intricate systems of analyzing the significance of

its contents.

Der Spiegel – Hamburg, Germany One of, if not the most influential news outlet in Europe, Der Spiegel

is among the world’s leading news magazines. It has a distinguished

reputation for its “aggressive” investigative reporting, which has

unearthed scandals ranging from the eponymous “Spiegel scandal”

in 1962 West Germany to Edward Snowden and Wikileaks’ NSA

revelations in the 2010’s. It houses what is “most likely the world’s

largest fact-checking operation”.

Al-Ahram – Cairo, Egypt Egypt’s largest newspaper and among its oldest, Al-Ahram is the

state news outlet for Egypt, ubiquitous enough to be influential of

the state of the written Arabic word. Criticized in the past for its

subservience to the state government, it has, in recent years, been

noted to increasingly question the Egyptian government, leveraging

its reduced risk of censorship to its advantage. The changing face of

government in Egypt has threatened its operations, but widened the

gap between it and government control.

The Times – London, UK One of the oldest remaining newspapers in the world, the original

Times, having lent its name to publications the world over and even

some typefaces, is a traditionally centre-right daily broadsheet

paper viewed as an authority in the British press. It has maintained

uniquely explicit yet varied political allegiances over the years,

having officially endorsed most major British political parties at

some point. Preferring clear but varied political support over

attempting to maintain detachment, The Times plays a central role

in the British news media.

Le Nouvel Observateur – Paris, France France’s most popular news magazine describes itself as aligned

with the “social-democratic” movement, found at the French centre-

left. L’Obs finds its strength covering cultural and political current

affairs—particularly those of Europe, Africa, and the Middle East—

with a careful eye, analyzing the issues du jour in-depth with an

intellectual and cosmopolitan voice.

Quartz – New York City, USA Quartz was launched in 2012 as The Atlantic’s business news

publication, a young and modern operation by design that quickly

became the category upstart to watch. It is published exclusively

online, with an intense focus on being digital-native and forward

thinking. It is outspokenly current and eschews tradition; it makes a

point to focus on “under-covered” regions such as Africa and India,

uses a very broad definition of business news, and is at times almost

conversational in its tone.

Vice News – New York City, USA Iconoclastic and willingly oddballish Vice News reflects its origins in

a punk magazine born out of Montreal. Highly conscious of its own

edginess, it makes a point to cover stories that its competitors,

depending on who you ask, either don’t trifle with or willingly

ignore. It targets a younger audience, unashamedly leaning on

exciting conflict, a matter-of-fact sense of dramatics, and a

deliberately counter-cultural image to appeal to the youth

disillusioned by conventional media giants.

BuzzFeed News – Anaheim, USA Once dismissed by the internet aristocracy as a frivolous Facebook-

fodder factory, BuzzFeed’s particular interest of late in “serious”

reporting has made it one of the most-watched news outlets in

recent memory, owing to its polarizing but canny ability to capture

the attention of the internet masses—particularly the coveted

millennial audience so many news outlets still fail to understand.

Famously unafraid to appeal to its audience, BuzzFeed pioneered

some of the most maligned and effective internet-age techniques,

from clickbait headlines to listicles, and while it downplays these

moves in its news coverage, it does not forgo them entirely.

Russia Today – Moscow, Russia Offering the self-described “Russian perspective” on current affairs,

RT, as it’s now known, is one of the most internationally active

Russian news networks. Founded in the midst of a great push to

elevate Russia’s image in the world, it has been accused of

spreading propaganda, and even outright misinformation.

Nevertheless, in 10 years in operation it has expanded to broadcast

in 5 languages in over 100 countries, perhaps as a necessary

counterpoint to the Western dominance of news media—its own

slogan pushes this concept: “Question More”.

Fox News – New York City, USA The United States’ famously opinionated Fox News publishes under

the banner of “Fair and Balanced”. Its critics purport otherwise, but

it remains perhaps the USA’s dominant cable news network,

reaching nearly 100 million households. It truly became dominant

during the American Right’s string of favour in the late 90’s and

early 2000’s, and while it has come under fire in recent years, its

sway over the American conversation remains considerable.

The Globe and Mail – Toronto, Canada Finally, Canada’s paper of record, the “independent but not neutral”

Globe and Mail is a historically progressive-conservative paper,

born out of the Liberal Globe and the Tory Mail and Empire,

speaking for and to the business establishment from the Canadian

centre. It has been regarded to exhibit a left-leaning streak in recent

years, but in general makes political moves slowly and intentionally.