The youngest editors of the Netherlands: That is what the newly launched youth news platform Spil* promises to be. The editors, without exception younger than thirty, enthusiastically announce their planned videos on the modest launch in an Amsterdam restaurant, such as a week without American products, and interviewing vlogging politicians at the Binnenhof. The editors would like to hear what those present are missing when it comes to news for young people. “How is that going on the editors?”, The press present is asked.
Spil* was officially launched this week by the Belgian company Mediahuis, a major player in the Dutch media sector with newspapers such as De Telegraaf and NRC And radio stations such as Radio Veronica and SLAM!. The new platform will not only make videos for Tiktok, Instagram and YouTube, but also release podcasts. The aim is to reach young people, a difficult target group for traditional news media. Research from Spil* shows that there is news poverty among young people. More than half of 15 to 25-year-olds indicate that they want to be better informed about current events.
The urgency was underlined again this week by it Reuters Digital News Reportin which it was warned that the interest in, the use of and confidence in news is falling among young people. Where the 2024 report showed that almost 80 percent of young people use social media to follow news, it now appears that the media consumption of young people does not improve as they get older. The Media Authority warns that Big Tech will be the gatekeeper of the news, reducing the control of traditional journalistic institutions. That is why she calls on news media to look for ways to develop news in forms that appeal to all generations.
Spil* is one of the initiatives that have been developed in recent years to interest young people more in news. In 2023, the Foundation for Democracy and Media supported the social media channel snack paper, which wanted to make newspapers more accessible to young people. Another example is NOS Stories, which places short news videos and has 1.2 million followers on Instagram. Cestmocro, which is not part of an established media company, is also an important news source for many young people. “Young people often consume their news via social media,” confirms editor -in -chief of Spil* Sophie Kluivers. “Many news media only offer that in a form that appeals to young people.”
Manipulated news provision
Irene Costera Meijer, professor of journalism at the VU University in Amsterdam with a specialization in youth news, emphasizes the shift from news consumption to social media. “Because young people get all kinds of information through social media, they think they are well informed. But on social media there is often lack of interpretation and background. In addition, the algorithms of social media are not made for news, because entertainment and extremism are given priority over hard news facts. This makes it easy to manipulate, without young people realizing it.”
That is why, according to Costera Meijer, traditional news media must take their responsibility and address young people with new narrative forms. “Young people still have the most confidence in the newspapers, only they don’t read them. Newspapers should use this to attract young people. They have to think about new ways to present news: with image, understandable language and personal presentation.”
Costera Meijer sees only a few news brands that do apply this well. “Nosstories was one of the first and have become very good in their form, that’s why they retain their popularity. But Cestmocro also knows how to address young people in their own way. These media give them the feeling that the news has been made for them. The topics are within their experience and they feel part of the target group.”
Spil* has not yet built up a permanent audience, and must first prove itself. Sophie Kluivers says that the platform wants to distinguish itself by trying out new video forms, based on social media trends. “Our editors bring the news personally and use a vlog style,” she says. They are narrative forms that also catch on elsewhere, which have been copied from influencers. “On social media you have to use an audio and video strategy. This not only fits the algorithm, but also fits in with the media behavior of the young people.”
In addition, Spil* is fully committed to journalistic transparency. “Trust in the media is low and we want to take that away by taking the viewer into the process,” says Kluivers. “We are looking for ways to involve young people in the platform. We not only want to send the news, but our target group in our reporting. We attach great importance to that. We ask young people what is going on in their lives and emphasize the personal relevance of topics for young people.”
Ten past twelve
Spil* follows the footsteps of snack paper, which brought newspaper journalism closer to the young people by summarizing background articles and longreads in audiovisual form. Founder Janna Nieuwenhuijzen was first a journalist at Het Parool (part of DPG Media), but had difficulty with the lack of attention in traditional news media for addressing young people. “It is ten past twelve for traditional media: there is a gap between the news consumption of readers and the news provision of newspapers. I tried to build a bridge with snack paper.”
Snack paper was only active on Instagram and Tiktok, where young people spend the most time. Nevertheless, Nieuwenhuijzen does not want social media to become the new news platforms, because this is at the expense of journalism. “We must mainly use social media to reach the public. News provision via social media is not desirable: it has too little nuance. You want to address the public and then take it to the platforms where journalism can come into its own, for example the apps of the newspapers themselves.”
Because Nieuwenhuijzen realized that snack paper did not solve the problem, the platform is now inactive. “Snack paper was a great experiment to see if quality journalism could be packed as a social media content. But I didn’t want to compete with the established news media.” According to Nieuwenhuijzen, it is more important that the traditional news media are shaken up. “By snack paper I realized that the change should come from within. We must strengthen the foundation of the established news media, not only because it is their responsibility, also because journalistic institutes are in danger of disappearing differently.”
Initiatives from established media
That realization has also descended with established news media itself. Nieuwenhuijzen has put itself on the map with snack paper, and has recently started a new position as a ‘Head of Future Audiences’ at DPG Media. “At DPG we are developing a long -term strategy to build a lasting relationship with a new audience, including young people. I am happy that the urgency is now being viewed.”
While Mediahuis tries to address young people with the new Spil*initiative, DPG tackles it internally. “We want to retrieve the young people to the traditional media, but then in forms that fit the needs of the young people.”
Other newspaper companies are also looking for new ways to reach young people. So NRC This spring a video editor founded, which translates stories from editors into videos on social media. “We try to reach the target group that is not naturally inclined to read a newspaper,” says editor -in -chief Patricia Veldhuis. “This is new to us. The NOS is already used to working with image, we are now in a rapid pace. With the videos on Instagram and Tiktok we try to introduce young people to NRC journalism, as many new subscribers have also met us in recent years through our podcasts, such as ‘NRC today’.
Despite the threats that social media are for the earnings model of the newspapers, Achthuis to offer the necessary news in this form. “It is free, but it is an investment for the long term. To continue to meet our journalistic duty, we want to involve young people in what is going on in the world and what this means. We want to keep them informed and give guidance, in whatever form.”
Costera Meijer does not yet see the ambition of the media companies in their approach. “The newspapers in particular are lagging behind, there is really a culture change there, and that is difficult. They don’t put full energy into it.” Small social media editors with communication specialists are not going to lead that change. “The most experienced journalists, the best storytellers, have to sit there,” says UvA professor Costera Meijer. “They know how to transform complex stories and maintain attention. Even if this has to be done in a Tiktok of 60 seconds. Only in this way can the young people’s attention be drawn, without this being at the expense of the depth.”