Anonymous letter accuses toxic leadership at the Karrewiet and nws.nws.nws editorial offices: ‘VRT must tackle the culture of fear’

Coup de théâtre in the Flemish parliament: while all eyes were on media minister Benjamin Dalle (CD&V) who had to explain how VRT CEO had made a mess in the Bart De Pauw case, the committee members received an anonymous but fiery email in the mailbox. Three ex-employees write that it is nonsense when Delaplace claims that the VRT always takes the side of the victims. “From our experience, that is not true.”

“An emergency measure, but also a momentum,” the three call their letter, who hope that something will really change now. According to them, the problems have been going on for seven years, with the editorial director of VRT Jong as the key figure. “Toxic leadership, transgressive behavior, favoritism, bullying behavior, fabricated meeting reports to make big decisions, manipulation, divide and rule politics, discrimination…” Internally, the problem has been reported often and through various channels in recent years, but without ‘result’ .

The editorial board of the VRT news service took the bull by the horns and conducted its own investigation. This resulted in 24 files of (former) employees at the Jong editorial team who were victims of the way of working of the editorial director. The same pattern often emerged. “She made it a game to turn colleagues against you. And to portray you as the party with the communication problem, the big mouth, the mistake maker,” one of the victims testifies in The last news, who also filed a complaint. “She isolates you from everyone, from all editorial staff, and takes all the power.”

‘Noticed anything’

Striking: some through The morning VRT staff members who work for VRT Jong were contacted when they read the letter. “Never noticed anything,” can be heard. “There is no culture of fear here.” Or: “I don’t recognize myself at all in what is written in that letter.” These reactions do not surprise the victims. “Because the editorial director has her protégés. She protects and spares some people. Of course they don’t know anything,” he said The morning.

In an internal email sent by the editor-in-chief of VRT NWS, it also denies that there is any transgressive behavior or toxic leadership. The editorial team bases this on an investigation that the Welfare Department conducted this spring, after a complaint was filed in January. 88 percent of VRT Jong employees participated in this survey, which revealed ‘a number of areas for improvement by the editorial staff involved’. “Our welfare procedures have worked completely as they should,” stated CEO-VRT Frederik Delaplace To the point. “We invested in the leadership within that team, we changed one person’s position, we made room for disconnection because there was a problem with stress. We are addressing that, and it is being recognized by the team. The team took the floor today to say that they do not recognize themselves in the image that is being painted.”

However, the investigation and the response of the editor-in-chief are once again causing resentment. Problems from previous years were not or hardly discussed in that study, the criticism is, and the editorial board’s file was not examined. “We were shocked by the meager research and the lightness of the conclusion,” the three also wrote in their email, wondering why the editorial director was being held over his head.

No one is being held over their heads, say the editors’ defenders. Many young people take their first steps as journalists at VRT Jong. Many are still trying to find their way, but some turn out to be less suitable for the job and, much to their own dissatisfaction, are given another position.

In addition, VRT refers to the success of Karrewiet and nws.nws.nws: the news channels for children and young people can provide excellent figures and are praised for their substantive approach. Not unimportant for a public broadcaster that often has difficulty reaching young people. Moreover, the targeted editorial director now plays a crucial role in drawing up the election manifestos. Pushing her aside now leaves a hole. However, these are arguments that the laws and regulations regarding welfare do not take into account: the interests of the victims, even if only one, take precedence, according to the trade unions.

Petition

That something is seriously wrong in the VRT newsroom became apparent exactly a year ago when seventy journalists signed a petition in which the working conditions at VRT NWS, and especially the online branch, were denounced. “Disappointed, aggrieved, hesitant and fearful,” was the tenor of that complaint. Even then it was about colleagues who were left to their fate and had nowhere to turn. A tenor that is strikingly parallel to what is now emerging about the editorial staff of Karrewiet and nws.nws.nws, among others. “It’s all connected,” the editor points a finger at the editor-in-chief.

There is still a lot of work to be done, says Joke Kerkhofs of the ACOD. “If people still feel like they are not being heard after going through a whole series of procedures, then there may be something wrong with those procedures. We will have to look at this thoroughly in the near future.”

But the prevailing culture of fear must be tackled, she says. “This ensures that the threshold for reporting these types of matters has only increased in recent months and years.”

An external bridge builder is now tasked with restoring trust between management and staff.