An Underestimated Problem: Disproportionate Legal Pressure on Dutch Journalism Summary
Written and Published by: Free Press Unlimited
Date Published: 9 April 2024
FPU spoke to more than 50 journalists, editors-in-chief, lawyers and other parties. The research builds on a survey by the journalists' union NVJ and PersVeilig (Dutch initiative for safety of journalists) in 2023, in which almost half of Dutch journalists and 90 percent of chief editors indicated that they face legal pressure. In some cases this legal pressure was severe: penalty payments of tens of thousands of euros and threats to seize a journalist's house.
The study shows that the impact of legal pressure is strongest among freelancers, local media and small titles. This group is the most vulnerable to the possible effects, and is therefore also more likely to resort to self-censorship. However, large journalism organisations also report experiencing increasing legal pressure. - FPU