In the Netherlands, a toxic atmosphere prevails within public television – Technologist

LETTER FROM BENELUX

The populist Geert Wilders, who is still trying to form a government in his country after his resounding election victory last November, could find arguments to fulfill one of his projects, namely the dismantling of public broadcasting in the Netherlands. The 200-page report entitled “Heard Nothing, Saw Nothing, Did Nothing,” presented in Hilversum on Thursday, February 1, contained alarming revelations about the atmosphere within the various Dutch public broadcasters (NOS, BNNVARA, Avrotros) and NPO, the organization that oversees them.

Some 1,500 employees of these television media have been questioned following revelations concerning Matthijs van Nieuwkerk, the star presenter for the last 15 years of the most famous of the country’s many popular talk shows. At the end of 2022, the host of “De Wereld Draait Door” (“The World Keeps Turning”) was accused by dozens of his current and former colleagues for his violent outbursts, insults and intimidation.

He apologized, promised not to do it again and castigated himself in words best left untranslated, before joining the RTL Nederland group. The affair caused such a shock that an official commission of inquiry was set up to determine whether other cases of violence and harassment had been reported within the public company. In presenting his report, Martin van Rijn, the former secretary of state for health who chaired the inquiry, said that the members of his committee were “very shocked.” Three-quarters of those questioned reported that they had already been victims or witnesses of “inappropriate behavior.”

Unwanted kisses

This discreet term includes harassment, sabotage of certain projects, assaults including, among other examples, tackling to the ground and chair-throwing, or sending intimate photos with explicit captions: “You’re only getting these photos because you’re an attractive chick,” or “Who would you rather perform oral sex on? Me or…?”

Witnesses reported unwanted kisses on the neck or mouth; women spoke of sexual relationships marked by dependence on members of the hierarchy – none of whom are named in the report, its authors preferring to highlight the “structural nature” of the misconduct observed. It seemed “normal” for bosses to have sexual relations with their subordinates, reported several witnesses.

When they wanted to end these relationships, on which their professional future often depended, these women had to leave the newsroom. Van Nieuwkerk, who had not previously been accused of this, was also accused on Thursday of having an intimate relationship with one of his female colleagues before she was fired with a €20,000 payout. The journalist – who is due to return to RTL Nederland soon – strongly disputed the statements made publicly by his accuser, BNNVARA director Suzanne Kunzeler.

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