The Dutch government kicked off a process on Tuesday to revoke the licence of a right-wing broadcaster, whose former chief editor voiced sympathy for remarks by Adolf Hitler. The broadcaster, Ongehoord Nederland (“Unheard Netherlands”), has repeatedly been accused of spreading false information, bias and providing a platform for conspiracy theories. Announcing the start of the process to ban the broadcaster, Media Minister Rianne Letschert told reporters it was due not to a “one-off incident but a series of recurring problems”. “Anyone who wishes to be part of the public service broadcasting sector and receives public funding for this must abide by the rules we have agreed upon together,” she said, adding the measures were not taken lightly. In a statement ahead of Letschert’s announcement, Ongehoord Nederland president Peter Vlemmix said the broadcaster “would not simply accept” the decision. The broadcaster will be given time to respond and can take legal action to stop the ban. Dutch public broadcaster NPO had urged the minister on Monday to suspend Ongehoord Nederland, citing a “systematic failure to comply with the code of ethics for journalists” and “an insufficient willingness to cooperate with other broadcasters”. According to a letter sent last week by the Dutch media regulator, Ongehoord Nederland had “breached legal standards in several respects in recent years”. An online segment in July about Hitler appeared to be the last straw. Editor-in-chief Joost Niemoller resigned last week after the clip, in which he and presenter Raisa Blommenstijn voiced their approval of a Hitler speech, drew a firestorm of criticism. The Nazi dictator “said it well”, he said, adding there were “certain things about Hitler” he agreed with. Ever since entering the Dutch public broadcasting system in 2022, Ongehoord Nederland has clashed with umbrella broadcasting organization NPO over editorial standards and impartiality. The Dutch broadcasting system is made up of several independent, membership-based broadcasters that share public funding and airtime. Ongehoord Nederland has also been fined on several occasions over its programming.
