Omroep Ongehoord Nederland has again violated the journalistic code of the public broadcaster on the point of reliability by spreading demonstrably incorrect information. This has been established by the NPO Ombudsman, Margo Smit, after a second investigation into the right-wing radical broadcaster of director Arnold Karskens.
The most controversial in the period under investigation was a broadcast of Ongehoord Nieuws on 15 September, which received more than 1,700 complaints. Random internet videos of violence against white people by black people were presented as evidence for ‘anti-white’ racism, with presenter Raisa Blommestijn using the n-word. “As far as that image use is concerned, the code has been violated,” concludes Smit. In a press release, she asks whether the public broadcaster “as a community of values and on the basis of the shared values to be propagated according to the Media Act, wishes to facilitate such content”. But “the ombudsman does not see to that”.
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She does, however, refer to the principle of ‘do no harm’. “Anyone who tries to frame that as political correctness is seriously wrong. It is simply a matter of professional ethics.”
Karskens has already acknowledged that the videos accompanying the item should have been placed better in context, but has not apologized for it. Blommestijn said he had no intention of hurting.
The NPO board already intends to impose a second sanction, with which the go to State Secretary Gunay Uslu (Media, D66) can be made with the request to withdraw the recognition. The first sanction followed the conclusion of the ombudsman in June that ON systematically violates the journalistic code. The NPO board then decided on a sanction of 93,000 euros: 2.5 percent of the broadcaster’s annual budget.
The amount of the second sanction will be announced next month, after ON was given more time to respond to the intention of the NPO board. The NPO is concerned with a lack of willingness to cooperate that is “attributable to ON”. The conclusion of the ombudsman now plays no role in this.