By our entertainment editors
Sep 01, 2023 at 5:00 PM Update: 41 minutes ago
Matthijs van Nieuwkerk does not think it is worth it that employees are “broken” by the work pressure and the atmosphere at The World Turns Door. The presenter did not know that dozens of employees left the program with a burnout, he says to Friday NRC.
Van Nieuwkerk was not aware of the cause of the high turnover in his programme. He tells this in his first interview since the article in de Volkskrant with the allegations against him. “Of course I knew about those incidents. About my tantrums. But what I didn’t know: that we – as on the front page of de Volkskrant stood – were a burnout factory,” says the presenter.
“That we have made so many people unhappy behind the scenes. Made them sick. Then you are completely ashamed,” says Van Nieuwkerk, who now says that he is sorry.
“A long time ago, I think I had a conversation with human resources where I was told that turnover in our program was high. That is also worrying, but it was not about burnouts.” His production manager didn’t know either, says Van Nieuwkerk.
“I wish we had never started it”, Van Nieuwkerk sometimes thinks. Yet he does not only look back on it negatively The world goes on (DWDD). “And then I think: in fifteen years more than a thousand employees have done a lot of work for this DWDDwith a lot of dedication and I often think with pride.” When asked whether the program could have been so successful without the working climate that prevailed, Van Nieuwkerk says: “Well without my tantrums, not without my firm strictness and ambition. “
Van Nieuwkerk says he does not want to look back too much and especially to the future. “We have to move forward and ensure that something like a culture of fear as described in de Volkskrant no longer occurs.”
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Van Nieuwkerk regrets his initial reaction to accusations
published in November last year de Volkskrant an extensive article in which the high workload and the culture of fear in the editors of DWDD were revealed. Several examples of Van Nieuwkerk tantrums were described.
The presenter initially responded in writing. That reaction earned him a lot of criticism, because he didn’t put his hand in his own bosom enough.
In retrospect, he sees this himself. “I should never have done it like that. I was so shocked, you can say totally in the powder, my head was bursting with too intense emotions.” Van Nieuwkerk felt that “accounts were being settled” in the article, which felt “disproportionate”. Therefore, he reacted “from a defensive reflex”.
“I should have just said: guys, time out. And had to take three weeks of reflection. Let the whole storm come over me and then name what was valuable about the piece and frankly apologize for what didn’t go well .”
This time he looks back in more detail at the outbursts of anger that occurred in de Volkskrant were described. “That was not good. Ugly on my part. Really something to be ashamed of. I also regretted that.” The presenter calls an incident in which he ranted at a sound man “certainly one of the darkest pages” of his career. Whether he ever wants to return to television, Van Nieuwkerk does not yet know.
Investigation into NPO and DWDD abuses expanded and delayed
Commissioned by the NPO, former minister Martin van Rijn is conducting research with a special team into transgressive behavior in public broadcasting, and in DWDD in particular.
This so-called Investigation Committee on Behavior and Culture Broadcasters wanted to come up with results this summer, but that was delayed.
“The investigation is larger than initially assumed,” the committee reports to her website. “There have been developments within the broadcasters and programs that have led to the investigation becoming broader. Also, more people than expected have come forward for an interview.”
The committee is expected to present its conclusions and recommendations in the fourth quarter of this year.
2023-09-01 15:00:32
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