[ Infoservis ]

Infoservis is a long-term project of the People in Need Foundation whose goal is to provide the Czech public with information concerning the events in world's crisis areas, serious violation of human rights and current global issues. We carry this idea out via

• running the www.infoservis.net web site,
• publishing thematic supplements and articles in Czech leading newspapers and magazines and
• organising public debates.

The project was launched in spring 2000. We want to address as many people as possible, both experts, journalists and the laic public, increase the attention abroad and mobilise the support for active foreign policy in the area of human rights.

Internet magazine

Infoservis' kernel is the www.infoservis.net web site on which we publish commentaries, analyses, interviews and reportage on the issues and countries in a high degree omitted by major media. Such issues are for instance humanitarian interventions, the situation of refugees or the life of the people in totalitarian regimes. Besides individual articles, once a week we also publish a special supplement in which we deal in more detail with a particular issue or development in some country or region. The articles are written by renowned journalists, travellers, experts, students, and other co-operators. Our production also partially consists of translations of world media and international humanitarian organisations' articles. Further, we are very much interested in collaboration with other Czech servers. Our articles regularly appear for example on Novinky.cz, Neviditelný pes.cz, Transitions Online and above all on the most visited Czech news server iDnes. We have also co-operated with Lupa.cz. (The result of this co-operation is the Media strategy - the increase of Infoservis' popularity report.)

Articles in newspapers and magazines

Many Infoservis articles appear in newspapers and magazines. Several times a year, Infoservis editors issue four-page supplements dealing with serious world issues (e.g. arms trade, development aid, etc.) in Lidové noviny and Respekt weekly. Twice a month, a thematic page focusing on the development of one country or region appears in Literární noviny. We have regular columns in Nový prostor and Magazín Koktejl. However, we publish particular articles also in many other Czech dailies and magazines, among others in Hospodářské noviny, Mladá fronta Dnes, etc. Infoservis staff also takes a decisive part in covering and promoting the International Documentary Film Festival One World, which is organized by People in Need Foundatin.

Screening and debates

Once a month we organise a public debate and screening of documentaries providingthe Czechpublic with information about the life of the people in crisis areas. That always includes photography exhibitions, ethnic food tasting and concerts of the particular region's music.

Migration

In October 2002, Infoservis started to support the extended Migration project which is being carried out by three Czech NGO's - Multikulturní centrum, Poradna pro občanství, občanskáalidská práva and People in Need - according to the order of Open Society Fund.The goal ofthe project's part carried out by People in Need is a systematic provision of objective information on the phenomenon of migration in the Czech, European and world context, the destruction of the stereotypes on migrants which frequently appear in Czech media and thus a contribution to a better cohabitation of the immigrants and the Czech majority. We focus on both general issues and the fate of particular individuals and families on their way to their final destination.

Infoservis and Migration project supporters: