“The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in theend, there it is.”

            — Winston Churchill

The date is 12th April, 1961.

For the first time, a person, Yuri Gagarin from earth has gone to outer space and has returned safely. That single orbit has rewritten history. In this moment, the International Press Corps steps into a dynamic landscape where information is both treasure and a weapon. However, the climax, as we should call it, began after Yuri reached outer space. Since he was a cosmonaut, the Soviet Union called it the triumph of Socialism, while the United States of America and the other Western countries disagreed with the Soviet and called it “personal interest of the person.” This year, the International (Historic) Press Corps steps into the heart of this turbulent situation, examining the ways in which governments across the world control how news is spread across the world. As the delegates of this committee, you are invited to place yourselves in this delicate discovery of distrust and misinformation. Your responsibility is not only to report the rise of the space age, but to ensure that the story is told with honesty, credibility and insight. This committee will assess how media representations shaped worldwide views of humanity's attempts to explore beyond the Earth's atmosphere, especially during the Cold War period. The goals for the Committee are to ensure journalists maintain the principles and ethics of their profession during a period when political and ideological rhetoric often clouds the truth; establish ethical standards in journalistic practice regarding space exploration; And properly record the beginning of the Space Race through honest and complete journalistic accounts. As the worldstands on the threshold of a new cosmic era, the responsibility placed on the International Press Corps is far beyond simple reporting. Amidst the charged environment of the Cold War every headline is a weapon, every omission a statement, every interpretation a national intent. As delegates, on this day, 12th April 1961, it is upon you all to find your way out of this disputed terrain. It was only hours ago that Yuri Gagarin made the first orbit of the earth by man, an achievement that has not only been a technological triumph, but has sparked a world debate. It is the crowning office of socialist justice to some, a triumph attained at the cost ofideological acquisition instead of human advancement. It is a moment that is already tornapart by competing stories in need of a press corps that can find the truth behind the propaganda that surrounds it. This is to analyze the influence of the media and state-manufactured messages in the opinion of the world, and to make sure that the flight ofGagarin is not discussed as a chessboard move, but rather as a step towards the whole ofhumanity. You have the first draft of history in your hands.