At the Mediapark in Hilversum there is a relieved reaction to the coalition agreement. This shows that the 156 million euros that the previous cabinet cut on public broadcasting will be partly reversed. “50 million euros are structurally available for intensification in the media,” states the financial section of the coalition agreement. It is not yet clear whether this also means that a third of the cuts will be scrapped. Because, according to the agreement, part of that amount will be “invested in press safety and journalistic freedom.”
The new cabinet is not only allocating more money for public broadcasting, but also wants to continue with the reforms that have been initiated, such as merging broadcasters into broadcasting houses. While the previous government left the number of broadcasting houses and who goes with whom up to the broadcasters themselves, this government sets clearer frameworks. “The broadcasters will work together in four broadcasting houses with one separate broadcasting house [de taakomroepen] NOS/NTR,” according to the agreement. In response to the declining number of linear TV viewers, the public broadcaster must fully focus on digitization to reach young people.
The coalition agreement also devotes a separate paragraph to the internet and social media. Because “in today’s online world, addictive algorithms, harmful content and inadequate moderation cause risks such as addiction, intimidation, abuse and fraud.” That is why the new cabinet wants to set limits. Following Australia’s lead, there should be a ban on social media for young people under the age of 15. The coalition agreement calls for “an enforceable European minimum age” for social media “with privacy-friendly age verification for young people.”
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