To quote the CSTD delegate from The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, “I want your job, it seems so fun, almost like spywork.” I replied, “Believe me, it’s not as fun as it looks.” Somewhere around noon of our first full day, I looked enviously at the delegates who got to duke it out in unmoderated caucus, while I hovered around as a mere spectator.

The more I thought about that quick interaction though, the more I realized how wrong I was. Not only is my role an enjoyable one, but a vital one. The more I dug through the layers and mudslinging of the unmoderated caucus, the more I realized how much I enjoyed what I was doing. 

These delegates were politicians at their core. They had to act according to the beliefs of their assigned country. I, however, was free. There’s something exhilarating about a good chase, and that’s the core of reporting. Countries tried whatever they could to obfuscate their true motives. It was my job to find out what they really were. When an anonymous world power tried their damnedest to hold on to the upper hand in a losing argument, I was the only person capable of truly calling them out. Later in the day, when almost every delegate claimed that collaboration was the goal, it was me who found the cracks, and eventually the poorly hidden battle lines. 

The role of the press is not to write the laws, but analyze them. As I write this, I’m listening to a resolution inch its way towards substantive debate. What many people not sponsoring the resolution will likely fail to notice is the lack of protections for queer people during natural disasters. My role is not to fix things, but to find what needs to be fixed. Before this article is finished, I will have interviewed the delegates sponsoring the bill, as well as any opponents willing to address the human rights oversight. I can’t say for certain if anything I do or say will have any impact on the end result. What I think is fascinating is that I’m the only person in the room able to talk to all parties freely, and as such, I get to see angles that no delegate would ever recognize on their own.

Of course, none of my experiences factored into my choice many months ago. Like all of us here, I have a passion for global politics, and more importantly, helping people. My issue is that I am by no means tactful, nor am I especially diplomatic. What I do possess, however, is curiosity and grit. The best way to harness those qualities for a force for global good is as a journalist. I may not ever have a chance to establish the status quo. What my role as world press has given me is something far more exciting: The ability to challenge it.

Haden Oliver
World Press Reporter
New Zealand