Özcan Akyol confronted his hostess Eva Jinek live on television last night with criticism of her reporter Jaïr Ferwerda. He finds his question too directive.
The way in which the media are after the enthusiastic VVD minister Dennis Wiersma disturbs Özcan Akyol a bit. The presenter was in last night Eva Jinek’s talk show, where an item by Jaïr Ferwerda containing this minister was shown. The reporter steers properly towards his departure.
“What’s Jair?”
Özcan doesn’t think that’s entirely Jaïr’s job, he says. “What I have trouble with, also in this video… Look, if he has misbehaved, then he has to go. If there are facts, etc., but his employer has decided that he must stay. Then I find it interesting what happens in journalism.”
If, despite the revelations of first De Telegraaf and then NRC, Dennis Wiersma does not have to leave the leadership, then that is also an answer, Özcan thinks. “Maybe he should leave – I have no further opinion on that – but then Jaïr will come again… I don’t know: is he a journalist or a columnist, Jaïr?”
Free hand
Eva replies: “I think Jaïr is a journalist with a free hand, so also provocative and different tools to elicit things from people. Maybe a little more like you.”
Özcan: “But all those pieces now are very opinionated. It is very clear what the journalists want. That’s okay, but then you shouldn’t say: ‘This is an article or a report.’ Then you have to say: ‘This is an opinion piece.’ Then you have to say: ‘We are now going to write opinion pieces about it, like: we think this is not possible.’”
Media smear
Now it seems more like a smear campaign from the media, says Özcan. “Again: I don’t stand up for him, I don’t know him – maybe he is indeed a very annoying man and he doesn’t deserve this chance – but at some point as a media you also have to accept the fact that there are facts revealed and a decision has been made.”
He continues: “The parties involved may not act the way you want, but yes, then you have to accept it as a media. You can’t keep going until you get what you want and that’s where we are right now.”
Eva has her doubts: “Isn’t it the pre-eminent task of journalism to keep shining a little light on that?”
Fragment
RTL has not posted a fragment of this online. Well of a piece that was danced on the table: