ELL: Importanty new EU News agency

[Marion Gunn]

To Europe-based readers of ELL
<endangered-languages-l at carmen.murdoch.edu.au>, here is an invitation to
raise the profile of your own small linguistic community, by contributing
news items to a new EU-funded news agency, headed by an Irishman with an
interest in all of the marginalized languages of Europe and their
respective communities. Feel free to post this announcement elsewhere,
without cutting out any part of it, please!

Marion Gunn
Rúnaí Choiste na hÉireann den Bhiúró Eorpach do Theangacha Neamhfhorleathana
Secretary, Irish Committee of the European Bureau for Lesser-Used Languages

--
Marion Gunn
Everson Gunn Teoranta
<http://www.egt.ie>

embargo until 24 hrs Monday 31/01/00

EUROLANG
NEW BRUSSELS BASED NEWS SERVICE

           -- As the far-right Austrian Freedom Party moves closer to
government, Austria's linguistic minorities express concern for their
future (Eurolang).

           -- German Romanies protest against their exclusion from a new
law compensating survivors of Nazi atrocities (Eurolang).

           -- Loyal Irish government members are rewarded in a cabinet
reshuffle, but how will the Irish language be influenced by a lack of
competent speakers in the
key ministries? (Eurolang).

           Find out more by visiting the Eurolang website from Tuesday
1st February. (http://www.eurolang.net)


           Eurolang, a new Brussels based service specialising in
serving national and regional media throughout Europe with news concerning
cultural and linguistic diversity in Europe, goes online on Tuesday 1st
February. The news service, which will be free for an initial period of two
years, has been set up under the auspices of the European Bureau for Lesser
Used Languages and is a project funded by the European Commission.

           News desks and correspondents will be able to access the
Eurolang website free ofcharge and will be able to download news stories
and pictures which will fill a gap in the present coverage of European
affairs.

           "It's our intention to provide a comprehensive and current
news service relating to lesser used languages and their communities throughout
Europe. Quite frequently, these communities are marginalised by the
mainstream media and issues relating to their linguistic development
ignored. Therefore, we'll be offering a unique source of information which
is not readily available at present to the media", says John Walsh, Editor
in Chief of the Eurolang service, a journalist and researcher from Ireland
who heads Eurolang's team of eight correspondents distributed
around Europe.

           The daily news feeds will cover stories from Ireland, Britain,
Spain, Netherlands, Finland, Germany and France,  and other locations will
be covered through Eurolang's contacts with journalists among linguistic
minorities in
other EU member states.

           "The primary aim of Eurolang is to enhance public awareness of
lesser used language issues, and to emphasise the importance of linguistic
and cultural diversity in Europe", explains John Walsh. "As well as the
latest news of
relevance to the linguistic communties, we'll be providing longer, in-depth
feature articles from time to time, as well as  interviews with relevant
people across a variety of fields. We'll also be bringing the latest news
regarding minority language matters from the EU institutions, the Council
of Europe and various NGOs in Brussels and in other cities."

           The online service will be updated daily. A wide variety of
media, both national and regional, have been contacted in many countries.
The response has been very positive, as journalists and editors have
recognised that our service is something unique and different.

           Access the site at http://www.eurolang.net and get your free
password online.
           Contact Editor-in-Chief, John Walsh, on +32 2 218 25 90/+32
479 294 594.
           E-mail: John.Walsh at eurolang.net

--
Marion Gunn
Everson Gunn Teoranta
<http://www.egt.ie>


--
Marion Gunn <mgunn at ucd.ie>


----
Endangered-Languages-L Forum: endangered-languages-l at carmen.murdoch.edu.au
Web pages http://carmen.murdoch.edu.au/lists/endangered-languages-l/
Subscribe/unsubscribe and other commands: majordomo at carmen.murdoch.edu.au
----