The impending massacre of Matthijs van Nieuwkerk by a journalist from the Volkskrant is seen by opinion maker Harry Vermeegen as fratricide. “Quarrels within the cult!”
It will not have escaped anyone’s attention that Matthijs van Nieuwkerk is the subject of an explosive article that de Volkskrant has been working on for almost half a year now. Two weekends ago, the newspaper informed Shownieuws that the piece is almost finished, but it has been quiet since then. Hilversum is eagerly waiting for this mega bomb.
Settle account
Harry Vermeegen thinks it’s all very special. “I am not a fan of that Matthijs van Nieuwkerk at all. No, not at all, no. I think it’s all a bit too much canal belt, a bit too arrogant, so I have nothing to do with that, with that Van Nieuwkerk, but I still have to stand up for him a bit,” he says on his face. opinion channel.
Why? “Yes, because that Volkskrant… So there is someone who apparently has to settle an account. So they have decided: ‘We are going to break that Van Nieuwkerk!’ And that goes under the heading of so-called ‘cross-border’. But by that they actually mean that he was too much of a jerk.”
unsympathetic jerk
A jerk to his employees at De Wereld Draait Door, Harry means. “Occasionally, of course, he just went on a rampage and scolded people and if it wasn’t right, they got really pissed off. And those people, who have all had their fill, also all have an open bill.”
He continues: “And it’s not that difficult for de Volkskrant, because you will always find a few who want to say terrible things about Matthijs van Nieuwkerk for a while and that’s what they are doing now. And what is it about? That he’s been a jerk, a jerk, unsympathetic, you name it. Yeah so?”
John and Joop
Harry has no problem with that. “Then you can start writing a story about a lot of people, which is so-called ‘cross-border’! How about Johan Cruyff? No, it was fun! What do you think of John de Mol or Joop van den Ende? How many times who has called people names and insulted them.”
He continues: “Then you are sometimes a bit unsociable, but in the zeitgeist of the moment, apparently it is no longer possible. Then you can’t put more people in their place. That is no longer the case. You have to do everything with velvet gloves and, ‘Excuse me for asking if you’re going to do your best!’”
“No, you are not allowed to drop out, because then the workplace will become ‘unsafe’!”
Fratricide
Harry finds it inimitable that Matthijs is thrown to the lions by the Volkskrant. “Matthijs is already a huge canal belt, you know. That is already NRC, Volkskrant, Het Parool. He is already a member of the cult. But now his own Volkskrant is just going to burn it down completely, destroy it and damage its image!”
“So what do we see here? Here we see a huge quarrel within the cult. It’s actually a fratricide. That’s what we see here within the belt. That is beautiful of course. So friends, all in all I would think to myself: guys from de Volkskrant, this is very bland!”
