The assessment for admitting new broadcasters into the broadcasting system of the NPO is not strict enough. Employees of the review committees complain about this in internal documents obtained by NRC.
Every five years, the Minister of Culture requests advice from the NPO, the Council for Culture and the Media Authority about which broadcasters are eligible for a broadcasting licence. The broadcasters must meet certain requirements from the Media Act: they must have at least 50,000 paying members, represent a ‘movement’ and be of ‘added value’.
However, the law does not explain how broadcasters must be tested against these requirements and what the criteria are exactly. The review committees had serious objections to the assessment of the new aspiring broadcasters Ongehoord Nederland (ON) and Omroep Zwart, but because these concerned matters other than the requirements of the law, a positive advice was ultimately given.
Spreading disinformation
For example, they wondered about Omroep Zwart whether it would adhere to the prevailing journalistic codes. They were also “really concerned” about the spreading of disinformation by ON. Advisors to the Dutch Media Authority state that it is the task of the public broadcaster to contribute to “social cohesion”. According to them, the question is how “naming the other side of action groups such as Kick Out Zwarte Piet and Black Lives Matter” contributes to this.
Minister Slob also questioned the added value of the two broadcasters, but still gave them a broadcasting license because it was “complicated” to reject them “because there are positive advice from three advisers”. According to the Council of Culture, such a positive advice was given because the criteria were not sharp enough.
Slob acknowledges this and also believes that the requirements should be clarified. He therefore wants to send a draft with new assessment criteria to the House of Representatives this autumn.
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