In its current form, the Dutch broadcasting system is in danger of missing out on the current times. The system is not geared to social and technological developments and changes in the media market. The Media Authority draws these conclusions in a report published on Tuesday.
The emphasis is too much on organizations instead of content, the responsibility of the system is too fragmented and it is unclear who exactly carries which tasks and responsibilities in the system. If no changes are implemented, the system will in future have more and more individual broadcasters with less and less social ties, warns the CvdM.
If it is up to the Media Authority, there should be a system with a broad, independent, multiform media offering that helps viewers form an opinion. In a revised order, the public service should be managed in a more centralized form and it should be clearly assessed what the added value is for certain content within the order.
Ideological Pillars
According to the commissioner, it is logical that the order is no longer adequate. “The current media system stems from the time when Dutch society was divided into ideological pillars,” the report states. This system was “in 1920 a logical form of furnishing that suited society”.
Former media minister Arie Slob asked for the reflection in 2021 after he admitted two new aspiring broadcasters to the system: Zwart and Ongehoord Nederland. Slob’s concrete question was whether the current criteria for admitting new broadcasters still met.
The reflection of the Commissariaat is the second report in a short time that calls for a change in the system. After her investigation into complaints about the journalistic quality of Ongehoord Nederland, ombudsman Margo Smit also stated recently that the Dutch Public Broadcasting Service is experiencing problems with its transparency and clarity of communication to the public.
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