Hans Janitschek
Encyclopedia
Hans Janitschek was an Austrian writer, a former Secretary General of the Socialist International
, and the U.S. correspondent for the Austrian newspaper, the Kronen Zeitung
.
, Austria
, Hans Janitschek first came to the United States in 1953 as a Fulbright Program
scholar at Haverford College
in Pennsylvania. On his return to Austria he became Staff Correspondent of United Press International
and in 1957 he joined Reuters
as Senior Editor. In 1959 he became Foreign Editor of Austria’s largest daily newspaper, Kurier
.
He joined the Austrian Foreign Service in 1964 and returned to the U.S. to serve as Director of the Austrian Information Service in New York for two years. In 1966 he was appointed Special Assistant to the Chairman of the Austrian Socialist Party, Bruno Kreisky
.
and as an outspoken supporter of President Salvador Allende
’s Popular Unity government in Chile. He was actively involved in the return to democracy of Greece, Portugal and Spain. He strongly opposed Indira Gandhi
’s emergency rule in India and played a significant role in the release from prison of opposition leader George Fernandes
. He supported B.P. Koirala’s freedom fight in Nepal and was instrumental in his return from exile.
’s "Cast the Sleeping Elephant Project" for which he gained the full support of the United Nations as well as the governments of Namibia, Nepal and Kenya. He also served as president of the United Nations Society of Writers for many years, where he created the Award of Excellence, which was presented to many outstanding international public figures.
He was president of the Earth Society and served as trustee of Friends World College, New York, he presented the Martin Luther King Jr. International Peace Award, to President Mikhail S. Gorbachev, Bruno Kreisky, Oscar Arias
and Willy Brandt
among others.
On his retirement from the United Nations, Janitschek returned to his journalistic roots as the US correspondent for the Kronen Zeitung, where in addition to reporting on current political affairs, he wrote a weekly column entitled "New York New York". He also contributed frequent news reports for Austrian radio station "Krone Hit". Most recently he joined iCastNews.com as news anchor and host of a daily news program broadcast over the internet from the United Nations.
, president of Portugal, Oscar Arias
president of Costa Rica and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
, as well as a biography of the publisher of the Kronenzeitung, Hans Dichand
. He co-authored the autobiography of Kurt Waldheim
, former Secretary General of the United Nations and former president of Austria. He was also the publisher of more than a dozen books ranging from volumes of poetry, to political treatises and an autobiography of his good friend, property developer Guntram Weissenberger. His last project was a book by Mihail Simeonov depicting the story of the "Cast the Sleeping Elephant" project. As president of the "Austrians Abroad Committee" he played a fundamental role in gaining Austrians living abroad the right to vote.
On 1 June 2005 Hans Janitschek was awarded the Decoration for Services to the Republic of Austria
in Gold.
On 21 February 2008 Janitschek died suddenly at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
Socialist International
The Socialist International is a worldwide organization of democratic socialist, social democratic and labour political parties. It was formed in 1951.- History :...
, and the U.S. correspondent for the Austrian newspaper, the Kronen Zeitung
Kronen Zeitung
The Kronen Zeitung, commonly known as the Krone, is Austria's largest newspaper. According to a Österreichische Media-Analyse study, the average daily readership is 2,970,000 , which corresponds to 43,7% of all newspaper readers...
.
Early life
Born on 6 November 1934, in ViennaVienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, Hans Janitschek first came to the United States in 1953 as a Fulbright Program
Fulbright Program
The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright-Hays Program, is a program of competitive, merit-based grants for international educational exchange for students, scholars, teachers, professionals, scientists and artists, founded by United States Senator J. William Fulbright in 1946. Under the...
scholar at Haverford College
Haverford College
Haverford College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in Haverford, Pennsylvania, United States, a suburb of Philadelphia...
in Pennsylvania. On his return to Austria he became Staff Correspondent of United Press International
United Press International
United Press International is a once-major international news agency, whose newswires, photo, news film and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines and radio and television stations for most of the twentieth century...
and in 1957 he joined Reuters
Reuters
Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
as Senior Editor. In 1959 he became Foreign Editor of Austria’s largest daily newspaper, Kurier
Kurier
The Kurier is an Austrian newspaper based in Vienna....
.
He joined the Austrian Foreign Service in 1964 and returned to the U.S. to serve as Director of the Austrian Information Service in New York for two years. In 1966 he was appointed Special Assistant to the Chairman of the Austrian Socialist Party, Bruno Kreisky
Bruno Kreisky
Bruno Kreisky was an Austrian politician who served as Foreign Minister from 1959 to 1966 and as Chancellor from 1970 to 1983. Aged 72 at the end of his chancellorship, he was the oldest acting Chancellor after World War II....
.
Secretary General of the Socialist International
In 1969, Hans Janitschek was elected Secretary General of the Socialist International, based in London. In this role he made his mark on the international political scene as a champion of the independence movement in BangladeshBangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
and as an outspoken supporter of President Salvador Allende
Salvador Allende
Salvador Allende Gossens was a Chilean physician and politician who is generally considered the first democratically elected Marxist to become president of a country in Latin America....
’s Popular Unity government in Chile. He was actively involved in the return to democracy of Greece, Portugal and Spain. He strongly opposed Indira Gandhi
Indira Gandhi
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhara was an Indian politician who served as the third Prime Minister of India for three consecutive terms and a fourth term . She was assassinated by Sikh extremists...
’s emergency rule in India and played a significant role in the release from prison of opposition leader George Fernandes
George Fernandes
George Mathew Fernandes is an Indian trade unionist, politician, journalist, agriculturist, and member of Rajya Sabha from Bihar. He is a key member of the Janata Dal , and was the founder of the Samata Party...
. He supported B.P. Koirala’s freedom fight in Nepal and was instrumental in his return from exile.
At the United Nations
In 1977, at the invitation of the Secretary-General, Janitschek became a Consultant to the United Nations where he served in the fields of public information, the peaceful uses of outer space, Palestine, human rights and population. During his time at the United Nations, he became involved in the Bulgarian artist Mihail SimeonovMihail Simeonov
Mihail Simeonov is a Bulgarian artist living in New York.He is notably known for his Cast the Sleeping Elephant Project, a life-size bronze statue of an African elephant. It was produced in 1980 by making an alginate cast of a live, wild Kenyan elephant bull, which survived the 72 minute process...
’s "Cast the Sleeping Elephant Project" for which he gained the full support of the United Nations as well as the governments of Namibia, Nepal and Kenya. He also served as president of the United Nations Society of Writers for many years, where he created the Award of Excellence, which was presented to many outstanding international public figures.
He was president of the Earth Society and served as trustee of Friends World College, New York, he presented the Martin Luther King Jr. International Peace Award, to President Mikhail S. Gorbachev, Bruno Kreisky, Oscar Arias
Óscar Arias
Óscar Arias Sánchez is a Costa Rican politician who was President of Costa Rica from 2006 to 2010. He previously served as President from 1986 to 1990 and received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1987 for his efforts to end civil wars then raging in several other Central American countries.He is also a...
and Willy Brandt
Willy Brandt
Willy Brandt, born Herbert Ernst Karl Frahm , was a German politician, Mayor of West Berlin 1957–1966, Chancellor of West Germany 1969–1974, and leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany 1964–1987....
among others.
On his retirement from the United Nations, Janitschek returned to his journalistic roots as the US correspondent for the Kronen Zeitung, where in addition to reporting on current political affairs, he wrote a weekly column entitled "New York New York". He also contributed frequent news reports for Austrian radio station "Krone Hit". Most recently he joined iCastNews.com as news anchor and host of a daily news program broadcast over the internet from the United Nations.
Author
Janitschek is the author of several political biographies including those of Mario SoaresMário Soares
Mário Alberto Nobre Lopes Soares, GColTE, GCC, GColL, KE , Portuguese politician, served as Prime Minister of Portugal from 1976 to 1978 and from 1983 to 1985, and subsequently as the 17th President of Portugal from 1986 to 1996.-Family:...
, president of Portugal, Oscar Arias
Óscar Arias
Óscar Arias Sánchez is a Costa Rican politician who was President of Costa Rica from 2006 to 2010. He previously served as President from 1986 to 1990 and received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1987 for his efforts to end civil wars then raging in several other Central American countries.He is also a...
president of Costa Rica and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....
, as well as a biography of the publisher of the Kronenzeitung, Hans Dichand
Hans Dichand
Hans Dichand was an Austrian journalist, writer, and media businessman. He published the tabloid newspaper Kronen Zeitung, Austria's largest newspaper in terms of readership, in which at the time of his death he held a 50% stake...
. He co-authored the autobiography of Kurt Waldheim
Kurt Waldheim
Kurt Josef Waldheim was an Austrian diplomat and politician. Waldheim was the fourth Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1972 to 1981, and the ninth President of Austria, from 1986 to 1992...
, former Secretary General of the United Nations and former president of Austria. He was also the publisher of more than a dozen books ranging from volumes of poetry, to political treatises and an autobiography of his good friend, property developer Guntram Weissenberger. His last project was a book by Mihail Simeonov depicting the story of the "Cast the Sleeping Elephant" project. As president of the "Austrians Abroad Committee" he played a fundamental role in gaining Austrians living abroad the right to vote.
On 1 June 2005 Hans Janitschek was awarded the Decoration for Services to the Republic of Austria
Decoration for Services to the Republic of Austria
The Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria is a state decoration of the Republic of Austria...
in Gold.
On 21 February 2008 Janitschek died suddenly at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
Books
- Nur ein Journalist. Hans Dichand. Ein Mann und drei Zeitungen, Wien, München und Zürich 1993 (ISBN 3-7015-0265-X)
- Arnold von Kalifornien. Der steile Weg des Steirerbuben Arnold Schwarzenegger, Wien 2003 (ISBN 3-85485105-7)