The editors of local broadcasting in Groningen will consider how they want to conduct journalism. Do columns fit with OOG? The reason is a piece about ‘crazy political correctness’ at the Minerva art academy, which was taken offline by the editors-in-chief after publication.
In the online column, freelance journalist Benno de Jongh writes about students with an ‘obsession’ for ‘diversity, inclusiveness, gender ideology, racism and climate change’. According to De Jongh, young adults seem to have ‘definitely seized power’ at the expense of teachers who are ‘afraid’ to ‘start up the discussion’.
De Jongh (43) deliberately omitted concrete examples, he says when asked. Because they could be traced back to teachers whose stories he wanted to record through an internal source at Minerva. Lecturers are said to find dealing with students increasingly complicated, partly because of the new gender-neutral form of address ‘them’. Lecturers who are not consistent with this would be verbally attacked by students, says De Jongh.
Dissatisfied with style, content and form
Editor-in-chief Evert Janse is very concerned about the issue. Yes, he took the column offline. Not because he received an angry phone call from the educational institution after publication, but because editors-in-chief and other employees of OOG informed him that they were dissatisfied after the column was published. Mainly about the journalistic form. In a column, a writer has hardly any limitations. There were no clear agreements about De Jongh’s column.
OOG editor-in-chief Janse (66), a month before his retirement: ,,Of course you get all kinds of discussions now. Is this censorship? What about journalistic freedom? Freedom of expression? Everything is brought in. But I think it’s more of a journalistic consideration. Is this subject suitable for a column or should you apply investigative journalism?”
Janse has no doubt that ideas about, for example, diversity and gender identity can lead to a lot of discussion at educational institutions. ,,And I personally think that these conversations, also elsewhere in society, are going too far these days. To finally find a balance. But a column is probably not the right way for us to raise something like that.”
First columnist of OOG
De Jongh has been writing columns for OOG since September last year. He is the first columnist of the Omroep Organisatie Groningen and reported himself to Janse, who enthusiastically gave him a stage. De Jongh had a column read to Janse for publication about five times. The editor-in-chief also read this thirty-sixth column. It is unclear to what extent it required further research. “My working method has always been that people get a lot of freedom,” says Janse. When the management of Minerva did not want to respond, De Jongh decided to publish.
In the end, after it was taken offline at OOG the same day, he sent his piece to the GeenStijl website. ,,You write a column so that people can read it.” GeenStijl also published the mail in which De Jongh writes that he has been ‘cancelled’ by OOG.
‘Scratch on his blazon’
That published mail makes it difficult for Janse to say in advance whether De Jongh can continue to write for the broadcaster’s website. “We need to talk about this internally first. With Benno and with the editors. Whether a column fits OOG. I thought it was a nice break in style last year with how we have always worked.”
De Jongh: ,,I am surprised that someone with such a track record as Evert, who has given me a platform himself, makes such a decision. There is no such thing as a little freedom of the press. I think it’s a scratch on his coat of arms.”