Valentijn Driessen believes that Jaïr Ferwerda can no longer be taken seriously as an independent political reporter now that he has made a fun Videoland film about Caroline van der Plas.
Jaïr Ferwerda always plays the roguish but questioning political reporter in RTL’s late talk show, but can he still do that objectively now that he has made an enjoyable Videoland documentary about Caroline van der Plas? Valentijn Driessen, one of the stars of Today Inside, has his doubts about this.
Valentine critical
After a scene from that documentary, in which Caroline is sitting in her own living room with her colleagues, and therefore Jaïr, Valentijn says: “The boy who made this, Jaïr, also makes political programs for that channel and he is sitting there with Mona Keijzer, the curtains must be closed… Yes, what kind of journalism is that?”
Johan Derksen is mild. “It’s a glimpse into the Netherlands.”
Valentine about Jaïr: “Yes, but he doesn’t have to do that, does he?”
Not to be taken seriously
Johan thinks those images look fine. “No, but those images in that living room in Deventer, in a terraced house, that is the Netherlands. Look, usually when you visit a politician, he lives somewhere beautiful and so on and this is just middle of the road and that’s fine with me.”
That’s not what Valentine’s Day is about. “Yes, but I don’t think Jaïr should be doing this. You just have to let a documentary maker do that and he is for the journalistic side. To what extent should we still take him seriously? He makes money from this and makes a documentary.”
‘Stop it!’
Wilfred Genee hopes for a slightly nicer headline. “You say: just stop with that man? Ready, over?”, he asks.
Valentine’s Day is strict. “He shouldn’t be making documentaries.”