PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT

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Plan for the Media Department

by Kris Kringle, Senior Fellow
04/11/19

Introduction
I am glad to introduce for the plan of the Media Department for the November 2018 - March 2019 term. As Senior Fellow for this department, it is my duty not only to lead its projects, but also to ensure that the agenda that is set for it is realistic and attainable, so that the progress we expect to see is progress that we may be able to observe and enjoy as the weeks pass.

This plan contains a list of the projects that, following consultation with the Minister, I hope to lead during the coming term. It also contains basic information about what each project entails, what timelines each would require and what each will need to go from plan to reality. It is my expectation that this will be of use to all Fellows, present and future, who hope to make a difference in the region by working in the Media Department.

Coconut Press
Established as a successor to the Southern Journal, the Coconut Press is a magazine that shares articles, analytical pieces and opinion columns on a variety of issues of both regional, interregional and real life interest. It is meant to be distributed to the region and foreign audiences on a PDF and dispatch format once a month, ideally on the second Monday of each month.

Planning for every Coconut Press issue should start a week after the publication of the prior issue. While certain leeway and context-depending deadline adjustments are to be expected, the basic timeline for the drafting, editing and publication of an issue should be as follows:

• Days 1-3: Media-assigned Fellows should be invited to announce their intent to contribute pieces.
  
• Days 4-5: If not enough Fellows express their interest, specific people should be contacted to determine if they could contribute with submissions of their own.
  
• Days 3-15: Fellows to complete their submissions.
  
• If sufficient pieces are submitted, time should be dedicated to determine which pieces form a coherent story for the issue.
  
• Days 16-20: Proofreaders review accepted submissions and make any changes necessary, particularly in terms of orthography.
  
• Days 21-23: The issue is given the necessary format and the PDF and dispatches are prepared.
  
• The Chief Editor should approve the issue and dispatch contents before they are published.
  
• If approval from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is secured, the issue should be shared in the Embassy of the South Pacific in the Gameplay forum.
  

Consistent with the activities outlined above, the Coconut Press should have the following job assignments filled at all times:

• Chief Editor: oversees the timely development of issues and approves or rejects submission to ensure that they form a coherent story.
  
• Formatter: consolidates all proofread submisisons into a single issue and gives format to its PDF and dispatch versions.
  
• Proofreader: proofreads all accepted submissions.
  
• Writer: submits news articles, analytical pieces, interviews or opinion columns for each issue.
  

In order to ensure consistent quality for issues, the following guidelines should be followed by all writers, proofreaders and formatters:

• All submissions should have a length of 620-720 words. Any submission whose length is below or above that range should secure permission from the Chief Editor.
  
• Adequate orthography and structure should be followed, so that any issue is well-written and has a reasonable flow of ideas from beginning to end.
  
• The quality and formality of any submission should be consistent with that of previously accepted submissions.
  
• Submissions will not be accepted if they promote any racist, bigoted or otherwise hateful views.
  
• Issues, when formatted, should follow the Universal Design Code.
  

CocoPress Weekly
Established as a successor to an earlier Ministry publication called TSP Weekly, CocoPress Weekly is, as its name would suggest, a weekly issue that summarises in a very concise and accessible manner the news and happenings of the region during the preceding week.

Given the time-sensitive nature of this publication, preparation for each issue should not take much time beyond the bare minimum necessary to consider what news should be included, draft the issue itself, proofread it and format it. Publication should, when possible, follow the following timeline:

• Friday: Writers should consider news to be included in the issue and draft pieces for each.
  
• If sufficient pieces are submitted, time should be dedicated to determine which pieces provide a more comprehensive view of the week's news.
  
• Saturday: Proofreaders review news items and Formatters give the issue the appropriate format.
  
• Sunday: The Chief Editor approves the complete issue for publication.
  

Any Fellow with a specific position in the Coconut Press (writer, proofreader, etc.) may be called to act in a similar manner for CocoPress Weekly, though the effort should be made to allow certain Fellows, should they so choose, to specialise in either publication.

In order to ensure consistent quality for issues, the following guidelines should be followed by all writers, proofreaders and formatters:

• All submissions should have a have a length no exceeding 100 words. Any submission whose length is below or above that range should secure permission from the Chief Editor.
  
• Adequate orthography and structure should be followed, so that any issue is well-written and has a reasonable flow of ideas from beginning to end.
  
• The quality and formality of any submission should be consistent with that of previously accepted submissions.
  
• Submissions should consist of regional, interregional or roleplay news and events. Opinion pieces and other non-factual content will not be accepted for publication.
  
• Submissions will not be accepted if they promote any racist, bigoted or otherwise hateful views.
  
• Issues, when formatted, should follow the Universal Design Code.
  

Real Time
A continuation of the same publication and podcast, Real Time would enter its fourth season as a podcast consisting of one-on-one interviews and panel discussions on regional, interregional and real life interest stories. Its goal would be to allow officials and other well-known figures to discuss various issues, and to allow these same figures to answer questions about themselves, so they community will be better acquainted with them.

Given the interactive nature of the podcast, much of the timeline leading up to publication is variable and depends on the schedules of both the hosts and the guests. Rather than provide a detailed timeline for publication, it will be said that podcasts should aim to be published every first and third Wednesday of every month and that the following actions should take place:

• Guests should be invited and topics of discussion should be decided.
  
• The podcast should be recorded, using the Craig bot or other authorised methods, no earlier than one week before the expected publication date.
  
• The recording should be edited, as needed, and the dispatch and any other relevant posts should be properly formatted.
  

Consistent with the activities outlined above, the Coconut Press should have the following job assignments filled at all times:

• Chief Editor: oversees the timely publication of podcasts, supports hosts and makes final editorial decisions, while allowing hosts a reasonable degree of content liberty.
  
• Host: leads the discussion in podcasts and ensures the orderly progression of discussions.
  
• Editor: assists Hosts in editing the complete broadcast and supports with other technical matters during recording, if needed.
  

In order to ensure consistent quality for podcasts, the following guidelines should be followed by all hosts and editors:

• All podcasts should have a length of 10-20 words. Any submission whose length is below or above that range should secure permission from the Chief Editor.
  
• The quality and formality of any submission should be consistent with that of previously accepted submissions.
  
• Podcasts will not be accepted for publication if they promote any racist, bigoted or otherwise hateful views.
  

Meet the Region
Modeled after the former Resident Spotlight and Government Closeup, Meet the Region is an interview and AMA project that aims to provide a written equivalent to Real Time and to allow the region to know more about regional figures, government officials, and their policies. This format would allow people to hold their officials to account by putting them on the record, but also to know more about the people who make the South Pacific the region that it is today.

Given the close relationship that could be expected to exist between this format and Real Time, much of the latter's structure and tentative timelines should be maintained for the former, with the following differences to be kept in mind:

• Unlike with Real Time, it could be possible to arrange live sessions of Meet the Region, particularly when it comes to an AMA.
  
• In all cases, a proofread and formatted version of the interview or AMA should be published and properly distributed no later than 3 days after its conduction.
  
• Publication should happen, under ideal circumstances, on the first and third Thursday of every week.
  
• Publications will not be accepted if they promote any racist, bigoted or otherwise hateful views.
  

Consistent with the activities outlined above, the Coconut Press should have the following job assignments filled at all times:

• Chief Editor: oversees the timely publication of interviews, supports interviewers and makes final editorial decisions, while allowing interviewers a reasonable degree of content liberty.
  
• Interviewer: leads the discussion in interviews or AMAs and ensures the orderly progression of discussions.
  
• Formatter: consolidates all proofread interviews or AMAs into a single issue and gives format to its post and dispatch versions.
  
• Proofreader: proofreads all interviews or AMAs.
  

Conclusion
This plan is, after all is said and done, still just a plan, and therefore it is subject to whatever reality is faces. Things might be harder to achieve that originally expected, or perhaps they might be easier and the execution of a project will go along faster than this plan foresees. There is no way to adequately predict how each project will develop, but I still have hope that I, as Senior Fellow, and the rest of the staff who was kind enough to express their interest in the Media Department, will be able to make an honest effort to deliver on the promises of this plan, and of the broader mission of the Ministry of Regional Affairs.