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🇳🇱 Netherlands /Elections & Politics

Dutch public broadcaster asks minister to revoke Ongehoord Nederland’s license

From NRC Handelsblad · () Dutch

Translated from Dutch and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

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  • The Dutch public broadcaster NPO formally asked Minister Rianne Letschert to revoke Ongehoord Nederland’s license, reversing its position from two weeks earlier.
  • The request followed advice from the Media Authority and a broadcast that praised a speech by Adolf Hitler, which the regulator called a turning point.
  • Ongehoord Nederland faces intensified scrutiny as the public broadcasting system prepares to merge 13 broadcasters into five groups.

The Dutch public broadcaster has asked the government to remove Ongehoord Nederland from the public broadcasting system, after previously saying it saw no legal basis for such a request.

The NPO submitted its formal request Monday to Education, Culture and Science Minister Rianne Letschert. A clarification from the minister on the legal framework of the Media Act changed the organization’s view. The minister summoned Peter Vlemmix, director of the far-right aspiring broadcaster, to the ministry on Tuesday to discuss its future. She is expected to inform him of a proposed decision to revoke the license.

The Media Authority, which supervises compliance with the Media Act, advised the minister last week to remove ON! from the system. The broadcaster had already faced intensified oversight after a series of scandals and reprimands. A recent program praising a speech by Adolf Hitler became what the authority called a “turning point.” Other broadcasters then told the NPO that a boundary had been crossed and that they no longer saw a basis for cooperation with ON!.

turning point

· Dutch Media AuthorityThe regulator used this phrase to describe the broadcast praising a speech by Adolf Hitler.

The NPO said the issue was especially serious because close cooperation will be necessary for the future public broadcasting system. The system is undergoing reform, with 13 existing broadcasters due to merge into five broadcasting groups. Parliament is scheduled to debate changes to the Media Act later this month.

The decision is not yet final. The NPO previously believed it lacked authority to judge the content of a broadcaster’s programming, even though ON! had been reprimanded 13 times by the NPO Ombudsman for violating the organization’s Journalism Code. Letschert’s legal explanation led the NPO to conclude that it can consider programming content when it obstructs effective cooperation within the public system. The three companies named in the current case reject the claims and seek acquittal. The court has set aside 11 hearing days through the end of November.

legal basis

· NPOThe NPO had said two weeks earlier that it saw no legal basis for asking the minister to revoke the license.
About this summary

Originally published by NRC Handelsblad in Dutch. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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