Poland Monthly - Polish Newspapers

Poland Monthly
ABOUT THE MAGAZINE

Poland Monthly is an English-language publication specializing in business news and insight, politics, and lifestyle issues in Poland. Poland Monthly specifically targets mid- to upper-level management and executives in this country and abroad. Poland Monthly is the first English-language publication to consistently cover business, politics, current affairs and lifestyle issues on a nationwide and in-depth basis.

Readers can find complete sections devoted to the automobile, telecom, IT and commercial real-estate industries that go beyond the traditionally Warsaw-focused English-language publications of the past, thanks to a news network with a main office in Warsaw, with branches in £ódŸ, Kraków, Poznañ, Trójmiasto and Wroc³aw. Additionally, nationwide politics, current affairs and expert commentary are a prominent portion of the magazine. Lifestyle issues such as travel, humor and entertainment or high end make up some 10 to 15 percent of the publication, rounding out what is both an informative, if not essential, magazine for businessmen on the ground here. The first edition of the magazine appeared on the polish market in March 2002.

CONTENT
The following sections are regular features in each magazine:

Cover story - Ranging from hard news to politics to profiles of key players working in Poland today, the cover story serves as both the attention-grabber and hook for Poland Monthly. Such stories promise to deal with major issues in an American-style format, following in the footsteps of magazines abroad such as Newsweek, Time, Forbes, the New Yorker, etc.

Politics/Economics/Current Affairs - Ranging from Poland Monthly's monthly economic roundup to interviews with prominent politicians, this is a must read for anyone interested in doing business in the country.

Finance and Banking - This section includes a monthly roundup of the financial markets, banking commentary and a Month-in-Brief section including major deals in the banking, finance and insurance industries.

Business cover story - The Business Section cover story are a permanent feature of the business section of the magazine, highlighting specific market trends and hard news occurring during that month. Specialized business sections include monthly coverage of the automobile, real-estate, telecom/IT sectors with a special emphasis on both trends and individuals in each sector. Each section features in-depth coverage, with both the real-estate and telecom/IT sections also featuring summary "Notes" sections as well as interviews with the major players in these sectors. The business section is complimented by an Investment Month in Brief section that highlights all major investments taking place in the previous month.

Lifestyle Pages - The Lifestyles Section features lighter articles such as car reviews, travel, humor, fashion entertainment news and restaurant reviews, the latter aimed specifically at Warsaw readers.

Notes sections - Our own experience, as well as readership surveys, has proven that monthly rundowns of news from various sectors is a must for businessmen here. Separate and detailed "Notes" sections are included at the beginning/end of the Politics, General Business, , Banking/Finance/Insurance, Investment, Telecom/IT and Real Estate sections of the magazine. The goal is to make Poland Monthly not only a one-stop publication for our readership, but to also provide an effective and eye-grabbing platform for the potential advertiser.

INDEPENDENT AND DETERMINED
Since its first issue in March 2002, Poland Monthly has been challenging the status quo and proving just what an independent publication can accomplish in the age of gigantic media houses and multinationals. Catering to the English-speaking population in Poland, but also benefiting from international subscribers, the magazine has benefited from a following that appears to be as loyal and determined as are PM's journalists, said Preston Smith, editor-in-chief of the publication.

"When we started the magazine we knew that there was not only a market, but a need for independent reporting that took into account the opinions and lives of the internationally-minded expatriate," he said. "We were pleasantly surprised to find that Poles also began reading the magazine, seeing our publication as a window to the opinions of expatriates working here, as well as to the mindset of the outside world.

"It's this window that is perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the magazine," he added, pointing out that a tight set of ethics has instilled trust in both Polish and expatriate readers. "Expatriates come to us with their problems because they know us personally, or because they recognize the standards that we are shooting for. Poles come to us with problems and documents because they know we are tied to no party, politician or business interest."

Put simply, this trust has meant very interesting reading. Poland Monthly has hit national an international headlines a number of times since its first issue, with staff reporters handling using the monthly format to give them time to conduct thorough and independent investigations that have often shed light on overlooked topics. Smith's report on hunger in the country side, featured in "The Other Poland" was cited by the New York Times, and an investigation into the international slave trade in Macedonia led to international controversy in the form of pressure by US institutions on the Macedonian government in light of shocking details revealed by Smith and Poland Monthly contributor William Roderick Richardson.

Other stories have also gained the publication notoriety. A report by staff writer Matthew Day on the travails of one man, Dariusz Dabski, whose life was ruined by corrupt officials in the wake of the Roman Kluska Optimus scandal was both ground-breaking and the first publicized account on the subject. Smith's work revealing the ongoing scourge of business-related kidnappings hit both national and international headlines, and since then Smith has been cited and featured as an expert on the subject by national television stations, as well as by foreign newspapers in Germany, Turkey and Scandinavia.

Yet such investigative journalism has come at a cost. The Macedonia report came on the heels of a tragedy that likely included the deaths of two women, both who were probably killed by an Albanian mafia group for talking to the press. When speaking at a US State-Department sponsored workshop for journalists Smith said this was an event that changed his life, even though he stated that such work must continue in the future.

"The fact is, there are no rules on this type of journalism," he said. "The experts didn't know how the mafia worked, how it looked or how it functioned. We slipped into their system, but our own ignorance turned into a tragedy. It's something that I would like to make up for, although I admit this is impossible."

Smith was also faced with other trials, literally. After an investigative report into the affairs behind corruption charges at national insurer, PZU, Poland Monthly and Smith were slapped with an almost unprecedented libel suit and gag order that also silenced Rzeczpospolita and award-winning journalist Bertold Kittel. Called unconstitutional by Polish Minister of Justice Grzegorz Kurczuk and harshly criticized by the European Federation of International Journalists, the gag order and $250,000 libel suit - a vast sum for a small, independent press - still stand, much to the frustration of the editor.

"It is tough," Smith said. "Our report, The Third Man, illustrated how certain individuals were siphoning millions out of the country. This was public money - the people's money - and it was only the tip of the iceberg. Yet the courts don't want to hear about it. Nine months later there still has been no decision on the gag order and no one has shown any interest in documents that we published, much less in the thousands of pages of documents that are in our possession. That said, we are not simply going to roll over and die. We're not going to give up and we're not going to stop fighting for our rights, the rights of journalists and the right to inform the public of wrongdoing."

Smith did add that it is at times painful to promote the country he loves while hammering on investigative pieces. Poland Monthly has at times been criticized for its "no-holds barred" approach, although not for its ethics or documentation, which have been lauded since the magazine's inception.

"At times I get calls - and these are not necessarily from Polish readers - who expect us to be the equivalent of marketing materials simply because we publish in English," he said. "The language makes us accessible to the outside world, and it frightens some people when they see investigative work and hard news coverage. But by and large we have found real support from both the public and other news organizations - although some of the latter have said we are nuts for taking on some 'corrupt powers' without a huge company behind us.

"I take this as a compliment, and face it, most hard news out there is bad news," Smith said. "I should point out, however, that I should point out that at least half our stories are about new investment, expanding companies and the like. This is a pretty good balance. We are meant to be a mirror, and end of the month summary, and every mirror shows the good with the bad.

"Hopefully, Poland will keep moving forward," he added. "I believe the process will be painful, but the situation will become brighter and the Polish 'picture' will become more positive. As this happens, the reflection as seen and read in the news will as well."