General
“DPG Media now has a unique governance structure”
DPG Media’s news media are protected by various safeguards for editorial independence. How do these compare with those at other media organisations? We asked Mathilde Sanders, a postdoctoral researcher at Utrecht University.
Mathilde Sanders
postdoctoral researcher, Utrecht University
Sanders previously conducted research into safeguards for editorial independence and media ownership. Her focus has since shifted to Governing theDigital Society. She sees a clear contrast between long--established media organisations and big tech platforms.
“The foundations that own some Dutch newspapers date back to the resistance era, and many Dutch broadcasting associations have their roots in ideological movements. Both play a role in safeguarding the journalistic mission of media organisations. In the case of big tech, investors alone are the owners.”
In addition to foundations, DPG Media’s national titles have editorial statutes, many of which date back to their founding. All of DPG Media’s regional news media in the Netherlands have statutes based on the same principles. Over the past year, these statutes have been updated and adapted to today’s media landscape. They now also incorporate various ACM commitments. For those titles linked to an independent foundation, the statutes can only be amended with the approval of both the foundation and the editorial team.
“Foundations and editorial statutes strengthen the identity and trust in the media”
At all DPG Media titles, the editorial team must approve any changes to the statutes. Sanders says: “In other countries too, you see mission-driven owners and shareholders of journalistic media. But foundations and statutes – and, as at some DPG Media titles, editorial teams that must approve the appointment of a new editor-in-chief – are, to my knowledge, unique.”
This places great responsibility on the foundations. “When Het Parool was founded in 1941, there was no such thing as digitalisation. The media landscape is changing rapidly, so a foundation’s mission and governance must evolve with it.”
Who governs the foundations is crucial. “A foundation board can also be hijacked. There is not always external oversight of who board members appoint as their successors, or of whether those individuals serve their own interests rather than the mission. Current board members must ensure that capable successors are appointed who will serve that mission.”
According to Sanders, a charter such as the one DPG Media now has is rare. The Charter is a legally binding document for current and future shareholders, supervisory board members, directors, and executives, setting out how DPG Media safeguards editorial independence and journalistic plurality.
Sanders says: “Foundations and editorial statutes strengthen identity and trust in the media. That is also commercially beneficial, because it strengthens the product. It also has value for advertisers, because they know their advertisements will appear alongside reliable journalism.”
If you want to know more about how DPG Media safeguards the independence and plurality of its news media, be sure to read the Journalism Annual Report (in Dutch).
