VRT CEO Frederik Delaplace’s chair is wobbling: ‘The VRT has lost all credibility’

As CEO of VRT, making it the main point The news on your own channels. It is a dubious honor that Frederik Delaplace can add to his list of achievements after a turbulent week. Thanks to The process that no one wanteda three-part documentary about the De Pauw case, which will first be shown on VRT Canvas, then not and eventually again.

Delaplace announced the latter decision on Tuesday morning. In a statement, Delaplace apologized for what he described as ‘an error of judgment’. Exactly a week earlier, VRT had announced that the broadcast of the De Pauw documentary had been postponed for the time being. “To give every opportunity to discussions between the parties in the case,” was the argument.

That turned out slightly differently. Instead of calming the mood, the decision had a negative effect The process that no one wanted as a fire accelerator that caused a fire on Reyerslaan. Delaplace won over the unions, (part of) the VRT staff, politicians and his own board of directors. They all talked about a lack of respect for the victims in the De Pauw case who were silenced by the cancellation of the broadcast. The critics also did not understand why the VRT apparently bowed to the demands of the De Pauw camp. And they all criticized the shady communication from VRT that never really managed to explain why taking the documentary off the screen had seemed like a good idea.

Open letter

At the board of directors on Monday evening, this intervention was called unacceptable. The members of the council pointed out to Delaplace that it was not up to the VRT to play the role of mediator in this case and demanded that the documentary be shown on screen after all. But then the climax of the fire was yet to come.

An hour before Delaplace sent his apology to the world, an open letter was published in which two hundred people from the cultural sector attacked the VRT CEO. They accused Delaplace of having a double agenda and called it unacceptable that one person could – for obscure reasons – remove an important document about inappropriate behavior from the screen.

The letter spread like wildfire via WhatsApp and the number of signatories increased rapidly. Major names affiliated with VRT such as Siska Schoeters, Fien Germijns and Linde Merckpoel also put their names under the document. In response, media minister Benjamin Dalle (CD&V) announced that the decision to The process that no one wanted then broadcasting is the only right thing to do. “It provides the clarity that was needed, in the interests of the women involved.”

It is doubtful whether that is the end of the matter. The case has caused quite a blow to Delaplace’s image. Political questions are loudly asked about his performance. The opposition parties Groen and Vooruit are taking the lead. Flemish MP Katia Segers (Vooruit) said she was ‘nauseated’ by the spectacle. “The VRT has lost all credibility in the fight against transgressive behavior. That is dramatic for the largest cultural institution in Flanders. As far as I am concerned, this is the biggest crisis of the past ten years in public broadcasting.”

It is not surprising that the strongest reaction comes from the left. The De Pauw case is a symbol of the woke discussion in which left and right are often directly opposed to each other. In political circles it is insinuated that Delaplace wanted to get closer to N-VA by canceling the documentary in order to anticipate a right-wing election victory.

Image damage

There are also wrinkles to be ironed out with the staff. If that even works. The unions are talking about enormous damage to the image of VRT and all its employees. Moreover, it is not the first time that Delaplace has caused problems due to its idiosyncratic course. About a year ago he imposed a gag order on his staff. That also did not go down well. “Then apologies followed,” says Joke Kerkhofs of ACOD. “But how many times can you keep doing that? Should we not dare to ask the question whether our CEO is still the right man in the right place?”

It is doubtful whether Delaplace’s dismissal will reach the government table. Just under three months before the elections, this is a very sensitive issue to consider. Moreover, the more moderate voices are convinced of Delaplace’s good intentions in this file. Especially now that it appears that there was consultation with the rest of the management committee. What’s more, it was members of that executive committee who convinced their CEO of the usefulness of the reconciliation talks that De Pauw was pushing for.

The TV maker also promised to ask the general public to stop harassing the victims via social media. A practice that has bothered the VRT for some time. But in the hope of finding a solution, De Pauw’s story was too emphatically followed and the victims were lost sight of. “The intentions may have been good, but the outcome is disastrous,” says an expert on the house. “The VRT top just let things roll.”