The tightening of the COVID-19 restrictions in The Netherlands triggered riots and violence that swept the streets of the country’s main cities on the weekend of January 24^th. Far-right rhetoric and conspiracy theories proliferating across Europe have planted a seed of distrust in the media, increased polarization and, observers say, awakened a dormant racism in the Netherlands. All of this has resulted in a sudden growth of both online and physical attacks against reporters, with female and minority journalists especially targeted.

The second episode of IPI’s podcast ‘The Press Freedom Files’ sheds some light over the causes and consequences of this worrying trend in a country widely known for its progressive and liberal spirit. Guests Clarice Gagard, a prominent Dutch journalist targeted with online abuse; and seasoned journalist Peter ter Velde, manager of the initiative Press Safety, talk with IPI Head of Digital Communications Javier Luque.

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This episode of ‘The Press Freedom Files’ was produced and prepared by the International Press Institute (IPI) as part of its Newsrooms Ontheline project, which looks into measures to address online harassment in newsrooms. Newsrooms Ontheline is financially supported by a grant from Democracy and Media Foundation and the Adessium Foundation.

This episode of The Press Freedom Files was produced and prepared by the International Press Institute (IPI) as part of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR), a mechanism which tracks, monitors and responds to violations of press and media freedom in EU Member States and Candidate Countries. The project is co-funded by the European Commission.