Wir lieferten den technischen Background für das neue Info-Portal „Planet’s Voice“ mit dem Redaktionssystem APC ActionApplications. Die internationale Online-Plattform www.planets-voice.org für Journalisten wurde zum UN-Weltgipfel für Nachhaltige Entwicklung 2002 in Johannesburg, Südafrika gestartet.
www.planets-voice.org: New Information Platform ‚Environment and Development‘
The International Federation of Environmental Journalists (IFEJ) and the Grenoble based french Mediacooperative 45°NORD launch the global information platform and online-news-agency www.planets-voice.org at the WSSD in Johannesburg.
To obtain higher quality environmental reporting and information which is reliable, comprehensive and well-founded Journalists of the IFEJ-Network have created their own news agency specialized on environment and sustainable development. „In the 10 years since it was founded, the International Federation of Environmental Journalists has established contacts with colleagues in well over 100 countries around the world: environmental journalists, scientific authors, economic specialists, and technical writers – „media workers“ with widely varying outlooks, specializations, languages, and world views… planets-voice.org capitalizes on these resources to implement this unique project: a global online information platform, „Environment and Development“ – developped by journalists for journalists and editors.“ planets-voice chief-editors and IFEJ Directors Louisette Gouverne and Michael Schweres said.
planets-voice.org is a combination of online news agency, press service, and information and communication platform, designed to serve international organizations, agencies and NGOs, as well as the private sector (research and industry), insofar as its activities are within the framework of sustainable development.
With its news ticker, news service by topic, international press review, calendar of events, columns and photo archives, and (in a second phase of development) original sound track archives and film databases, planets-voice.org constitutes a resource, work and information tool for journalists and editors from every medium, information and communication professionals or representatives of NGOs, environmental associations, etc.
planets-voice.org is an international cooperative project, implemented under the auspices of the editorial board of the media cooperative 45° NORD, the head office of the IFEJ (responsible for the conception and realization of the content), and the computer network APC/ComLink in cooperation with the Hannover based IT service provider Trilos GbR (responsible for the technical implementation of the content management and editing system APC ActionApps, which was developed under the auspices of the Association for Progressive Communications (APC) especially for international NGOs and their online publications).
„planets-voice.org will work multilingual, using English, French, Spanish and German to share information, operate and maintain contact with a network of informants, correspondents and editors in more than 100 countries worldwide.“ said Darryl D’Monte, IFEJ-President from Mumbai, India and planets-voice chief-editor for Asia. The information platform operates on a nonprofit basis, has no advertisements, and is critical and independent. By signing an editorial charter, all partners and sponsors of the project undertake to guarantee the independence of the editorial board and its reporting.
This editorial charter constitutes an essential component of the credibility of planets-voice.org coverage.
For registered users most of its services are free of charge (for nonprofit and noncommercial organizations) or extremely inexpensive (in the case of commercial use). Balance surpluses are reinvested directly in media development and journalism training in partnership with journalist organizations in developing and emerging countries. planets-voice.org works in cooperation with the Swiss-based press agency „InfoSud“. InfoSud is a non profit Press Agency aiming to bring voices from the South in the Medias of the North. As a network of more than 100 journalists from different cultural areas, InfoSud has published about 8000 articles in the mainstream press of Switzerland, Belgium, France, Africa and South East Asia since its foundation in 1988. InfoSud-chief-editor Daniel Wermus pointed out the necessity of networking in the field of environment and sustainable developpement. „In the future we will not only share experiences and articles, but develop common media-projects, products and activities.“ he said. Official launch of www.planets-voice.org september 2nd, 2002 in the media-center of the waterdome in Johannesburg, start of online-activities august 28th, 2002.