Welcome to Harvard Model Congress Media! Over the four days of the conference, you will experience the life of a journalist. In doing so, you’ll become familiar with the techniques used by journalists to gather evidence and compelling content, critically analyze important and controversial issues, report on the facts, craft stories, and more. If you’re excited about the prospect of listening at locked doors, coercing delegates to divulge confidential information, having your work read and seen by the entire conference, capturing “on the record” snafus, and typing frantically on your computer five minutes before a deadline, then this is the program for you! After your HMC experience, you will never read a newspaper, scan a blog post, or watch a news show the same way again.
You will have the chance to interact with many of the other students in different scenarios, whether you are conducting an interview or critically observing them in Congress for an opinion piece. You will get to see all sides of HMC and meet fascinating and passionate people along the way. You will be reporting and presenting the need-to-know facts and will be responsible for keeping the rest of the conference informed. Your opinions will influence debate. Your presence will be feared and respected. Your skills admired and tested. You will experience what it is like to report on issues, hold interviews, offer opinions, record videos, and more, all under the thrilling pressure of a looming deadline. As your HMC staffers, we hope that you walk away from this experience with a greater knowledge and interest in the field of media, armed with the basic skills you need to be a journalist of the future. Before we all meet in February, we hope that you learn a little about us before the conference.
Miranda Beltzer is a junior concentrating in psychology. Besides learning how to alienate all those who love her by analyzing them against their will, Miranda fills her mind with a myriad of trivia about the history of photography, 1950s television, and Nordic cinema. Not only does she simulate government in HMC, but Miranda also simulates the court as a member of the Mock Trial team. Really, she just wants to simulate life and escape reality in the hopes of reverting to an earlier stage of development.
Cassandra Thomson goes by Casey, since she just learned how to pronounce her real name this past summer. She is a junior at Harvard studying Social Studies, with a secondary in Global Health and Health Policy. While she loves studying in Cambridge, she’s a Midwesterner at heart, having been born and raised in good ol’ Chicago, IL. She’s a huge fan of HMC Media, wanting to be a journalist when she “grows up” (whenever that may be), and she can’t wait to live it up at HMC 2012!
Matthew Plaks is a junior in Winthrop House studying Visual and Environmental Studies. In addition to his work with Harvard Model Congress, he is a proud member of the Mock Trial team and a tutor for a non-profit program called Earthen Vessels. He enjoys photography, swimming, and relaxing with friends. He knows that this year’s HMC will be the best yet!
Please let us know how we can help you in the coming months!