NOS climate editor quits over training dissatisfaction: 'Journalists should name the animal by its name' – Joop

Rolf Schottenhelm is leaving his position as climate editor at NOS. He does so “in protest against the structural platform of Russian disinformation for years – and to this day – and the lack of a strong and supported editorial vision regarding the current era – and what it requires of us,” he wrote on the X website.

In his book X-thread, Schottenhelm turns against the cowardly journalism that “let all sides have their say” and that is considered “objective” in many Dutch media. According to the climate journalist, journalists must do more than just report propaganda, they must know what is going on. It is the job of journalists to call the animal by its name. According to him, this does not happen enough at NOS.

For example, after Monday's attack on a children's hospital in Kiev, the NSA wrote: “Russia says military targets, such as weapons factories and airports, were chosen. The Defense Ministry speaks of a successful attack.”

By publishing Russian nonsense, you are not doing society any favours, Schottenhelm believes. On the contrary, this is how you play into the hands of authoritarian regimes. “This directly affects the interests of the Dutch democratic society, an interest that the Dutch press must protect. Not with opinion, but with incomplete information – so that well-informed choices can be made.

Internally, Schottenhelm says he has already sounded the alarm. “When [bleef] He promised to get better again. After another pointless, avoidable letter, I decided to take a chance in May. “These are my last weeks,” he wrote.