Viltu business? Stories from local entrepreneurs
Iceland Polska News is a Polish website presenting political, cultural, and social news from Iceland, as well as lifestyle stories, and articles about travelling. Polish news in Iceland
With more than 27,000 readers, Iceland Polska News is the main Polish source of Icelandic news. What started as a way to combat fake news, became a successful social initiative not only providing daily news and crucial information but also working against discrimination and prejudice.
After the financial crash of 2008 and the Eyjafjallajökull eruption in 2010, Iceland attracted international attention on a big scale. In the same period, Polish migration in Iceland started to gain momentum, and more and more information in Polish began to appear online. Among them was a good deal of fake news.
“On the basis of various "sensational" information from Iceland, one could build an astonishing picture of this country, rather inconsistent with reality,” says Monika Szewczuk, one of the editors at Iceland Polska News.
That’s why over a decade ago, in 2011, a group of friends living in Reykjavík, among them: Marta Magdalena Niebieszczańska, and Paweł Grabowski, decided to start a Polish website with verified news from Iceland. Soon, the founding trio was joined by journalists and editors from outside the capital, making the stories and articles more diverse.
Today, Iceland Polska News is a news website reaching more than 27,000 Polish readers. The page is updated on a daily basis and presents political, cultural, and social news, as well as lifestyle stories and articles about travelling. Iceland Polska News is active on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, using social media to connect with its readers. The website is designed for Polish readers who are interested in Iceland and, perhaps above all, the Polish community in Iceland.
Iceland Polska News operates as a private limited company, ehf:
“In our opinion, ehf is the most transparent business structure in terms of accounting,” says Monika. The company collaborates with freelance journalists living in Iceland, Poland, and many other parts of the world. “Those writing for the website are most often volunteering. The editorial office does not employ any full-time staff.”
In 2021, Iceland Polska News celebrated their 10th birthday. The editorial team consist of journalists, translators, photographers, and editors. Photograph: Iceland Polska News.In the group of long-term contributors are, among many: Justyna Sajja Grosel - graphic designer, Michał Mogiła - photographer and filmmaker, Piotr Giedyk - sports editor, Piotr Mikołajczak and Berenika Lenart - writers and travellers, Monika Szewczuk - editor and translator, Olga Szelc - editor and proofreader, translators from Grupa GMT from Wrocław, Witold Bogdański - president of the Icelandic Polish Association, Ilona Dobosz, Olga Knasiak - a popular blogger behind “Polka na Islandii”, Eva Maria Ingvadóttir, Aga Jastrząbek, and Innri Jolanta.
“The editorial team changes dynamically, depending on the availability of our contributors: authors, translators, and photographers, but we do operate as a group,” explains Monika. “Together, we take care of the quality of the texts. We react to any comments. Our readers are very vigilant, for which we are very grateful.”
In 2016, Frettablaðið newspaper distinguished Iceland Polska News for its work against discrimination and prejudice. Although the project is of great social value, Iceland Polska News doesn’t rely on any public support, and it strives to secure its existence independently:
“After many years, a small, one-man but quite dynamic advertising department was created. In our advertisement offer we have graphic design, copywriting, sponsored articles, and interviews,” says Monika. “Ad revenue covers the cost of servers, domains, technical support, software updates - all that you can't see but that costs a lot.”
In the future, Iceland Polska News plans to develop a new series of articles covering the basics of learning Icelandic, as well as pieces about the local fauna and flora, or gardening. “We will continue to write about events and projects promoting Polish culture and support Polish charities in Iceland, such as Zabiegani Reykjavík Foundation. It gives us enormous satisfaction,” says Monika.
You can learn more about Iceland Polska News
on their website, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.