Evert Santegoeds will continue to produce his weekly magazine Privé in the same way, no matter how intense the war between Israel and Hamas becomes. “We also did that after 9/11.”
While fear and unrest in Israel and Gaza continue to increase, life continues as normal for most people. The Dutch media are also full day in and day out of the most banal peripheral issues, such as the family troubles within the Hazesjes and Marieke Elsinga throwing candidates off a bridge.
War and stuff
Evert Santegoeds does not plan to change anything about his gossip magazine Privé in wartime, he says in the podcast Strictly Private. “How do you deal with reporting showbiz news in these complicated times in terms of news and war and so on? Is there anything else I should pay attention to?” a reader asks him.
No, Evert answers. “Just the old way. We also did that after 9/11, we did that after the corona crisis and we do that now too. Yes, it is our sport, just as sports reporting continues and competitions continue, so does showbiz. You can see that.”
Halls are full
The halls are full, says Evert. “New movies are coming out, new books are coming out. There is enough going on and we are a bit of a distraction in dark times. That’s just how I see it. We talk about it as little as possible.”
Yet you cannot completely avoid it, according to the Private Boss. “Of course it is discussed in interviews and we are also aware that what we report is not the news in the world, but in addition to the news in the world that you follow through other channels, this does have a right to exist.”
Viewing figures
People simply need lightheartedness in times like these, Evert concludes. “You can also see it in the viewing figures of programs such as Boulevard and Shownieuws. They may be a bit higher than normal, because people want something else on their minds.”