Jeroen Pauw was tackled by host Sam Hagens last night in his self-produced talk show HLF8. “I think you are making a huge mistake here.”
Mark Rutte refuses TV debate after TV debate, but ends up in a made-up bed with Jeroen Pauw. To the criticism of many, he organizes a program in which the prime minister debates exclusively with the ‘left cloud’, consisting of GroenLinks and PvdA. Jeroen thereby facilitates that the prime minister can continue to avoid a debate on the right.
Huge miss
According to Sam Hagens, presenter of HLF8 produced by Jeroen, it is a travesty. “You actually only see GroenLinks and PvdA lose in these elections. VVD remains about the same. And what do you see? BBB, JA21, they win big. This is the story of this election.”
He continues: “But Jeroen, what you are doing, to be honest… I think you are very important, but I think you are making a huge mistake here. What you do is: you go along with the story of the VVD. That there is a conflict between the left cloud and the VVD. While there is no question of a two-way at all.”
Two battles
Jeroen disagrees. “No, but that is not at all what we are suggesting, that there is a conflict. I know that’s the story of the VVD, that’s a pretty showy story.”
Sam: “But you only let these two speak.”
Jeroen: “No, but look, the VVD is trying to make it a two-way battle. And that’s fine. We chose it: we choose the two largest parties.”
Sam: “But you go along with the VVD’s frame that this is the story of the elections. And they just came up with this.”
Jeroen: “Yes, but look, if the VVD considers that that is the story of the elections, then it cannot be that because the VVD thinks that, that we are no longer allowed to do it.”
No right-wing parties
The Pauw debate is entitled ‘Left or Right’. Sam: “And you don’t have those right-wing parties.”
Jeroen: “Yes, but okay, I explained to you: we thought six was too many.”
Sam: “As a journalist, Jeroen, doesn’t it feel a bit uncomfortable that you go along with the story of the VVD?”
Jeroen annoyed: “If that were the case, yes. But saying the same thing six times doesn’t make it more true. And I think it’s not true.”
Sam: “But you do give these parties a stage and not the others. A letter has just been sent to the Ombudsman of the NPO today by Pieter Omtzigt. Did you read it? What he says: you give those parties a stage and the other parties do not. And that’s just unfair.”
Fragment
Jeroen is not convincing with his defense. Investigative journalist Kim van Keken tweets: “Jeroen Pauw is in the show that he produces himself (HLF8) justifying the debate that he presents and produces himself. Something with interests ?.”
A fragment:
