The University of Amsterdam awards an honorary doctorate to NRCjournalist and columnist Folkert Jensma. The university cites Jensma’s “interesting journalistic work, in which he continuously draws attention to the rule of law and to the quality of everyday legal practice and its impact for litigants” as grounds for the award.
Also sociologist and New York Timescolumnist Zeynep Tufekci has been awarded an honorary doctorate by the UvA. The university praises “her sharp analyzes as a public intellectual on, among other things, social movements and social media.”
The influence and significance of Jensma and Tufekci’s work lie in “the social impact they manage to make,” Rector Magnificus Peter-Paul Verbeek explains in a press release. He praises “the bridges that both manage to build between science and society.”
Jensma, who was editor-in-chief of NRC Handelsblad (from 1996 to 2007), is a legal editor and commentator. He studied law in Leiden and has been writing for NRC since 1983. In addition to his work at the newspaper, he is vice-chairman of the board of the journalists’ union NVJ. Honorary supervisor Iris van Domselaar (professor of legal philosophy) states in the same press release: “In recent decades, Jensma has in a sense become the constitutional conscience of Dutch legal practice, always with an eye for the importance of legal equality and effective access to justice for ordinary citizens. He does not shy away from strong criticism of lawyers.”
Tufekci, born in Turkey, is a professor at Princeton. She has written extensively about the social effects of technology, social media and disinformation, including during the corona pandemic. Her book Twitter and Tear Gas: The Power and Fragility of Networked Protest is about protest movements in times of social media.
“In her columns and on social media, Tufekci distinguishes herself by providing extensive scientific support for her ideas,” says honorary supervisor Justus Uitermark (professor of Urban Geography). “When she writes about topics, she always draws on the most recent and advanced knowledge, but she is not afraid to take a position that goes against the prevailing opinion.”
The honorary doctorates will be awarded in Amsterdam in January.