Opposition party Groen wants an audit to be carried out to find out whether the VRT can still work independently. She says that after reports in De Standaard, Het Nieuwsblad and Gazet van Antwerpen that the public broadcaster was making programs tailor-made for the Flemish government. Katia Segers from Vooruit already requested an audit last week. But according to Flemish Media Minister Benjamin Dalle (CD&V), there is no indication of “political interference”.
According to the newspapers, a new TV series that is in the making at VRT, ‘Knappe heads’, sings the praises of Flemish science and innovation. The program is said to have been created in consultation with the cabinet of Flemish Prime Minister Jan Jambon (N-VA), which was also responsible for the financing. It is not the only program for which Flanders is making money available, but according to critics within the VRT, it has been pushed through in a brutal manner and a line has been crossed.
Meyrem Almaci, Flemish MP for Green, reads in the reports that the Flemish government may influence the elaboration of programs. “First squeezing the VRT to death financially and then paying for tailor-made programs to gain insight into one’s own powers and political agenda: shameless and cynical,” she says. Groen is requesting an audit to find out whether the public broadcaster can still work independently. “Having programs drawn up to order for your own political agenda is particularly questionable.”
“With one hand, the Flemish government is squeezing the VRT to death financially, while with the other hand it generously finances programs that align with its own cabinets and ideological preferences. Save hard, and then provide additional pots of money through cabinets to exert their influence. This trend is unacceptable, the Minister of Media must speak out,” says Almaci. She also repeats her demand to reverse the savings at the VRT. “A strong, independent public broadcaster is a prerequisite for a strong democracy.”
Katia Segers (Vooruit) sees a worrying series of facts at the VRT. She refers, among other things, to the postponement of ‘The process that no one wanted’, the discussions about a postponement of ‘Forgotten God’ and now the cooperation with the Flemish government. “What is happening now at the top of the VRT is more than errors of judgment,” she says. “These are mistakes with serious consequences. For the victims of Bart De Pauw. For the victims of transgressive behavior in the media and all other sectors. For the backlash within our society about how we deal with transgressive behavior. For the VRT staff who want to continue working for the VRT with heart and soul, convinced of the public mission.”
Socially relevant topics
“The editorial autonomy and independence of the VRT are paramount,” Minister Dalle said in a response through his spokesperson. “It is the VRT itself that determines the programming and develops the content autonomously. It goes without saying that political interference in the content of programs is undiscussable and unacceptable. There is no indication that this would be the case.” He therefore does not see any additional elements that make an audit necessary, as requested by opposition parties Groen and Vooruit.
According to Dalle, it is a good thing that the VRT wants to cover socially relevant topics, and “additional resources can help to create even more high-quality programs”. This was also the case in the past with, for example, Het Verhaal van Vlaanderen, but VTM and VIER also made programs with Flemish support with ‘Crème de la crème’ and ‘De Leeuwenkuil’ respectively, the minister says.
Dalle has spoken out several times in the past in favor of additional financing to guarantee the sustainable operation of the VRT, his spokesperson points out. “This will have to be discussed during the negotiations for the new Flemish government and when drawing up the next management agreement.”
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Tags: political interference VRT Dalle Groen Vooruit independent audit Domestic
