Stefan J. Bos, a Budapest based Dutch journalist who also works for the Voice of America (VOA), Deutsche Welle and other media, stressed BosNewsLife made enemies among those unhappy with its reports on the plight of persecuted Christians and Jewish people. "Yet throughout the year we have witnessed that our Lord, Jesus Christ, blessed the news agency," he claimed Sunday, May 1.
He said BosNewsLife’s stories, distributed by several media, attributed to the release of several detained dissidents and political prisoners in China and Cuba "and raised awareness about those still detained or otherwise persecuted in prison" for their faith.
"Recently we welcomed BosNewsLife New Delhi Bureau Chief Vishal Arora in our team. His very professional coverage about persecuted Christians in India and elsewhere in Asia for BosNewsLife was already mentioned in a so called White Book on atrocities against Christians, which was presented this year by church officials to the Indian prime minister," Bos added.
BosNewsLife coverage also helped to formulate a public debate on rampant anti-Semitism in former Soviet satellite states, including in Hungary, Bos claimed. But he admitted that some of his reports lead to troubles.
COUNCIL OF JOURNALISM
In June, 2004, the Dutch Council of Journalism threw out a case launched by the influential Hungarian far right commentator Istvan Lovas against Bos, saying it will "abstain from judgment," according to documents.
Lovas, who led a media campaign against the journalist in the conservative Magyar Nemzet newspaper, asked the Council to condemn a Bos’ story carried by the Dutch General News Agency (ANP) because it described him as "a far right commentator" and one of his speeches at a January protest against a Budapest radio station as perceived as "anti-Semitic."
Bos also reported that during the far right demonstration against the alternative Tilos Radio the Israeli flag was burned and that protestors carried flags used by Hungarian fascists during World War Two, when an estimated 600,000 Hungarian Jews were massacred.
Lovas argued that the flag was burned after the protest and that the only aim of the article was to discredit the opposition as anti-Semitic. However the defendants stressed the story focused on news that the Israeli Embassy complained about the protest and that Lovas’ speech was added to explain the atmosphere of the event.
"DEMANDED CAREFULNESS"
The Council said the fact that Lovas had not made available his speech in a language it understood as well as its lack of knowledge of Hungary’s political situation made it impossible to rule on the case "with the demanded carefulness."
In a separate incident, BosNewsLife’s website was attacked in November last year by one or more Russian hackers, Bos claimed. Only in January BosNewsLife re-emerged on the Internet with a new team of dedicated developers. "We have learned that dealing with hard hitting news and persecution remains a challenge and requires extra technical security measures…There are always people trying to undermine this effort," Bos explained.
BosNewsLife started operations Saturday May 1, 2004, when ten mainly ex-Communist countries joined the European Union.
SPECIAL TIMING
"We wanted to launch BosNewsLife and its website BosNewsLife.com on the day former Soviet satellite states rejoined Europe after decades of Communism to inform people living here and around the world about the spiritual and political challenges ahead," Bos said earlier. "In former Communist countries new churches and Christian groups are often viewed as sects, while press freedom is still under pressure. In Communist nations religious groups are persecuted and several leaders are fined, tortured and put in prison."
He said BosNewsLife wants to reach "a dedicated audience of traveling compassionate professionals ranging from business people, journalists and decision makers to missionaries, aid workers and others caring for a hurting world…" When away from their computer, readers can also access BosNewsLife news headlines on mobile phones and other wireless handheld devices via http://wap.bosnewslife.com, Bos added.
Besides its own religious content, the BosNewsLife website offers real-time access to the latest news from leading media sources for each country of the world, as well as a special section called ‘disputed territories’. "The disputed territories section was made so our audience can follow major trends that can lead to persecution," Bos said.
EXTENSIVE ARCHIVE
The website also provides profiles, maps, live weather updates for virtually all nations, constantly updated currency exchanges, and an extensive BosNewsLife archive with hundreds of stories on persecuted Christians and Jews.
It was created by project manager and co-founder Agnes R. Bos, who also reports for the Russian Services of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and Radio France International (RFI). "As many of the professionals reading us are often traveling and have little time, we realized we should give them an all-round news service so they have everything in one package.," she said. "That’s why we provide both the compassionate news they care about from BosNewsLife, as well as access to a continues round-the-clock stream of general and targeted stories from for instance Reuters, Associated Press and other news organizations for each country and region, which they need in the complex world today."
A monthly subscription to BosNewsLife for individuals is just $1.95 or $19.50 annually, and includes all features. The same subscription for publishers is just $9.95 per month or $99.50 per year, BosNewsLife said. It offers free subscriptions to dissidents and persecuted people.
