However critical and indignant the broadcasters are about the broadcast offellow broadcaster ON on September 15, they do not agree with the statement ofthe director of KRO-NCRV, Peter Kuipers, in NRC that ON must be immediatelyremoved from the order. Instead, they are urging State Secretary Gunay Uslu(Media, D66), the NPO and the Media Authority to speak out quickly on theissue and take any necessary measures.
ON caused a wave of criticism last week by broadcasting the program Unheardof News alleged to address “racist aggression” by black people against whitepeople. A series of videos was shown in which a black man repeatedly beat up awhite man or woman. According to an investigation by Pointer (KRO-NCRV), thereis no evidence that there was a racist motive. The n-word was also usedseveral times in the ON broadcast.
Also read: Director KRO-NCRV wants Ongehoord Nederland immediately out ofthe system: “This is pure journalistic scum”
“This was pure racism,” says Jan Slagter, director of Omroep MAX. “ON hasdisqualified me. But do they have to be immediately removed from the order?That is not up to the directors of broadcasters, but up to the State Secretaryand the Media Authority. I’m finally expecting a decision. I honestly thoughtthat the group that feels unheard of in the Netherlands would get a voice inthe system with ON – and that’s the best way to push the boundaries. But theyhave crossed the border, this is not acceptable.”
EO director Arjan Lock, who is also chairman of the Board of Broadcasters (inwhich all national broadcasters have a seat), says that he senses indignationamong all broadcasters. “First: It cannot be the case that discriminatory orracist expressions are made under the flag of the NPO. And two: we wouldadhere to the journalistic code. If you broadcast five videos under the guiseof wanting to show black racism, and the first investigation shows that therewas no connection with racism, then you are breaking the code.
“Something has to happen. And I completely sympathize with what Kuipers says.But: diversity is also a great asset. And that requires careful action beforeyou use big words like: this broadcaster must be removed from the systemimmediately. Because it is not just about this one case, but also about othercases in the future. Do you want something completely different going on, andpeople say: that sound has to stop, which can also be said: directly from theorder?
The Media Authority is investigating the matter and has informed the ANP thatit expects to be ready in the second quarter of next year.
Also read: Rain of complaints after broadcasting ON. Can everything besaid?
Lennart van der Meulen, director of the VPRO, also believes that it is not upto the broadcasters to put ON on hold. “If other broadcasters were to say thatVPRO should be removed from the system because of a controversial documentary,I would also find that terrible. That is not so much a question ofcollegiality, but of freedom of expression. We think the racist expressions atON and the fomenting of prejudices are the worst. You can file a complaintagainst that, but that is not in the way of the VPRO.”
Van der Meulen points out that in addition to removing ON from the order,there is also a less far-reaching alternative. “The NPO can also say: we nolonger place this program on the broadcast schedule. That is always possible.”
No Black Pete news
Just this Friday, the NPO confirmed that another ON program, the alternative_Sinterklaas news_ with the title Black Pete Journal , will not be shown ontelevision this year. In the Black Pete Journal which was broadcast onYouTube last year, the Pieten are painted black, while the NPO has decidedtogether with NTR for a number of years. Sinterklaas news broadcast in whichno black Petes can be seen anymore.
“This can go two ways,” says NTR director Willemijn Francissen about therecent fuss about ON. “Unheard of Netherlands is out of the order. OrOngehoord Nederland will adhere to the agreements and remain within theframework. The latter is clearly my preference, but I find it difficult to behopeful about that.
Also read: NPO wants to impose sanction on Ongehoord Nederland afterOmbudsman report
“ON has been given a place in the system because it represents a group thatotherwise would not feel heard by the public broadcaster, while as animportant institution within democracy we are expected to let everyone havetheir say. But discrimination, racism, insults and hate speech are simply notallowed, especially not within public broadcasting. We are ashamed that this