The paper spoke to more than seventy talk show employees about the inquiry. More than fifty of them qualify the behavior of the presenter Matthijs van Nieuwkerk and some editors as a cross-border.
It involved extreme outbursts of public anger and humiliation, which ensured that a culture of fear was maintained. “The feeling was: the scythe can always fall unexpectedly,” says an editor. “Without knowing why. Working at DWDD for a long time was the ultimate recipe for burnout.”
The paper also has medical records, communications with attorneys, confidential emails, conversations from app groups, and settlement agreements that substantiate employee stories.
Put on guard
De Vara (later BNNVara) was warned several times over the years by the personnel department about the unhealthy working atmosphere in his successful program but never took any fundamental action.
In recent months, the broadcast top has had “very thorough talks” with Van Nieuwkerk, who has made other programs for the station since the end of DWDD. In those conversations, according to BNNVara, he acknowledged that he had crossed borders. “This is essential for us,” says content director Suzanne Kunzeler.
Office accident
De Volkskrant describes one of the incidents, in which Van Nieuwkerk humiliates one of his most experienced editors. It happens in the ‘loft’, his office in the middle of the newsroom.
“Everyone knew the publisher was about to collapse,” says one employee. “He was given an argument that he himself found objectionable, but then he was blamed. Matthijs started yelling in the loft. ‘This text isn’t shit’, he shouted: ‘Everyone disappears when I say it.’ What the editor replied, Matthijs exploded. He shouted: “Oh yeah, do you think that’s a good idea?” He held up the text and shouted: “Then we’ll do it your way, won’t we? Come on, get it, come get it!”
Just as he was about to take the newspaper, Matthijs threw it into the wastebasket in front of his eyes. Then the publisher left. He came home crying. Matthijs shouted: ‘Bring him back!’ He spoke coldly about it the next day. Oh yes, it’s been said, he’ll never come back.”
Answer by Nieuwkerk
Matthijs van Nieuwkerk did not initially answer de Volkskrant’s questions, but made a statement after reading the newspaper’s reconstruction. In this he expressed no regrets and did not respond to the fact that so many employees fell ill. BNNVara then said: “Matthijs’ reaction disappoints us and forces us to reflect.”
Some time later, Van Nieuwkerk replied again: “I am very sorry that we have not been able to give everyone a safe and pleasant feeling and that it has even made colleagues ill.”
He also says, “We are now faced with a series of uncomfortable backstory. Unfortunately, they don’t take time, but they make you think. This mirror will hang in my room.”
He also calls the article in the newspaper “a fifteen-year-old draconian caricature of DWDD.” “Of course, I was fanatic, stubborn and strict. And at times I could become ugly. Useless. But for convenience I have now folded into an Eternal Tantrum. And I didn’t think it was.”
songs
Research by de Volkskrant shows that last summer during the recording of his new program Chansons!! another incident involving Van Nieuwkerk occurred in Paris. After an angry outburst from him, one employee stated that he believed he was being treated cross-border.
