{"id":3175,"date":"2024-08-21T12:33:22","date_gmt":"2024-08-21T12:33:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sdm.nl\/?p=3175"},"modified":"2025-07-24T08:43:18","modified_gmt":"2025-07-24T08:43:18","slug":"onderzoek-journalistiek-leiderschap-tijden-zijn-veranderd-er-is-behoefte-aan-slimme-denkers-zonder-ego","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sdm.nl\/en\/onderzoek-journalistiek-leiderschap-tijden-zijn-veranderd-er-is-behoefte-aan-slimme-denkers-zonder-ego\/","title":{"rendered":"Research on Leadership in Journalism: 'Times Have Changed. We Need Smart Thinkers Without Egos'"},"content":{"rendered":"
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What defines good leadership? And why is it crucial for journalism\u2019s role in democracy? Karlijn Goossen explored these questions in a study commissioned by the Democracy and Media Foundation.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

By Lisa Peters<\/strong><\/p>\n

For a long time, leaders\u2014both in journalism and beyond\u2014were typically men, which may have led us to associate leadership with a particular style. But, as Ilse Openneer, the editor-in-chief of RTL Nieuws, told Villamedia: \u201cNo one wants a 'Bokito' at the top anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

In fact, it turns out we need the exact opposite. \u201cTimes have changed. We need smart thinkers without egos,\u201d says Karlijn Goossen over her oat milk cappuccino at a caf\u00e9 in Utrecht Central Station, surrounded by stacks of Quote, Vogue, and Quest magazines. \u201cJournalistic leaders should primarily serve their colleagues.\u201d<\/p>\n

Goossen recently returned from a train trip to Leipzig with her wife, Beitske de Jong, a presenter at NPO Klassiek. \u201cWe delved into Bach first, then into the DDR and the Third Reich. It reminded me how fragile our democracy is and how unaware we are of it. Not so long ago, we lived in a world of mass surveillance, propaganda, and lies. Today, we hand over all our data without a second thought and barely consider the consequences.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2023, Goossen conducted research for the Stichting Democratie en Media on why improving leadership in journalism is so vital. The seed for this study was planted in conversations she had with people like Karel Smouter (now co-editor-in-chief of Trouw), Klaske Tameling (formerly with NPO Radio 1), Freek Staps (ANP), and Anniek van den Brand (DPG). \u201cWe all agreed that many developments in journalism seem to be stalled by poor leadership, with damaging effects for journalists, their managers, and ultimately\u2014since it affects quality\u2014the public.\u201d<\/p>\n

What has changed compared to, say, twenty years ago? \u201cJournalism is getting bruised and battered due to bad leadership, but it\u2019s no longer being swept under the rug. People are struggling and are now daring to speak up.\u201d<\/p>\n

This is evident in the Van Rijn Commission\u2019s report on misconduct at the NPO. In Nothing Seen, Nothing Heard, Nothing Done, over 1,484 employees reported experiencing or witnessing inappropriate behavior in the past year. The experiences ranged from systematic sabotage and physical or verbal abuse to sexual harassment.<\/p>\n

Goossen conducted more than seventy interviews with researchers, journalistic leaders, and strategic advisors. The insights she gathered are sometimes alarming. \u201cMy disappointment stems from poor leadership, internal politics in media companies, hasty strategic decisions, and the abandonment of journalistic values,\u201d one interviewee said. This sentiment was echoed by \"about ten to fifteen others\". Here are three ways in which bad leadership is damaging journalism.<\/p>\n

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  1. An Untrustworthy Journalism That Holds Double Standards<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    There\u2019s a common belief that a good journalist will naturally make a good editor or chief editor. After years of producing excellent stories, a journalist is promoted to a leadership role, suddenly facing a whole new set of responsibilities. \u201cJournalists fall into these roles without being properly prepared,\u201d says Goossen.<\/p>\n

    She finds this \u201cquite bizarre.\u201d Goossen spent thirteen years as a lecturer in journalism at the Christian University of Applied Sciences in Ede. \u201cWe wouldn\u2019t tell a journalism student: \u2018Go make a podcast, and here\u2019s the deadline. Good luck!\u2019 No, we explain how podcasts work, the different formats, what to consider during recording. And we give them space to practice and learn. We need to approach leadership the same way.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Als de journalistiek serieus genomen wil worden door de buitenwereld, moet de journalistiek goed leiderschap veel serieuzer gaan nemen.\u2019 Want: with great power comes great responsibility. <\/em>Schandalen in de journalistiek hebben impact op de geloofwaardigheid en het imago als onafhankelijke macht in de democratische rechtsstaat. \u2018Je kan niet anderen de maat nemen in tal van #MeToo-publicaties en vervolgens zelf geen haar beter blijken. Dan word je gezien als subjectief en meet je met twee maten.\u2019<\/p>\n

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    1. Lack of a Clear Vision<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Newsrooms are running at full speed, with enormous work pressure, yet often lack a clear vision. There\u2019s hardly any time to reflect on why things are done a certain way. \u201cAt the public broadcaster, for instance, there\u2019s little discussion about the value of journalism and the pressure we\u2019re under. That affects journalistic quality and how we handle digital innovations.\u201d<\/p>\n

      Mid-level managers in journalism find themselves squeezed between the demands from the newsroom and the directives from above. \u201cThese people usually have a keen sense of what should be done from a journalistic perspective, but often that\u2019s not aligned with the organization\u2019s strategy, which is driven by ratings, shareholders, or algorithms. As a result, journalistic values are sidelined.\u201d The unintended effect, according to Goossen, is that those who should be in these positions become disillusioned, while more status-driven colleagues remain.<\/p>\n

      A clear example is an interview the SDM conducted with former editor-in-chief Sjirk Kuijper and editor-in-chief Sophie van Oostvoorn. \u201cWhen I started as a manager, I promised myself I wouldn\u2019t do it for more than eight years; that seemed healthy,\u201d Kuijper says. \u201cI had a cynical view of male leaders who eventually consider themselves indispensable and become too accustomed to their position, status, and income.\u201d According to Goossen, his cynical perspective is accurate. Kuijper has since stepped down as editor-in-chief and returned to writing for the newspaper.<\/p>\n

      Since this summer, Goossen has been Genre Coordinator for Journalism at the NPO. Over the past two years, she also held a leadership role as deputy editor-in-chief at the EO, where she saw how far the organization had drifted from its journalistic mission. \u201cWhen I started, there was a proposal to change the job titles of my colleagues to \u2018content creators.\u2019 I refused. We had serious journalists on our team; we\u2019re not going to call them \u2018content creators.\u2019 That completely misses the point of what journalism is.\u201d<\/p>\n

      Another issue: people who consume journalism are not \u201cconsumers,\u201d according to Goossen. \u201cThey are citizens. You can certainly ask what their needs are and how to reach them, but your core task is journalism. The most important question is: What do people need to know?\u201d<\/p>\n

      Poor leadership also leads to journalists from non-Western backgrounds leaving the profession, Goossen observes. \u201cThey don\u2019t want to work in an environment with so little vision and space for them.\u201d This lack of representation has democratic consequences: which groups do you still reach as a media outlet, and whose problems are overlooked because they\u2019re ignored?<\/p>\n

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      1. Tone-Deaf to Societal Change<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        This, according to Goossen, is the crux of the problem. Blind to a changing society and stuck in survival mode within their own organizations, journalism risks becoming irrelevant. \u201cThat\u2019s why the blows from the right keep catching us off guard. It\u2019s happening as we speak. We haven\u2019t looked far enough ahead at what social media and big tech mean for journalism\u2019s relevance. We need strong journalistic leadership to make well-informed decisions between journalistic values and social reality.\u201d<\/p>\n

        It doesn\u2019t help that the media landscape is increasingly dominated by giants like the NPO, DPG Media, and Mediahuis. They operate like cargo ships that are slow to change course. \u201cThat\u2019s the well-known issue with legacy media; they\u2019re cumbersome organizations that find it hard to adapt or pivot. But that\u2019s exactly what\u2019s needed in an unstable world.\u201d<\/p>\n

        Journalistic leaders, therefore, must also be people who can handle pressure and uncertainty. \u201cThe media landscape is changing so rapidly, you can\u2019t plan more than five years ahead as a news outlet. And even then, you\u2019ll need to adjust your strategy along the way. The tech sector is much better at adapting to a constantly changing environment.\u201d<\/p>\n

        There\u2019s no one-size-fits-all solution, but Goossen hopes it will be possible to establish an institute for journalistic leadership. \u201cIn other countries, these issues were recognized much earlier, and official programs for journalistic leadership have been developed. We don\u2019t just need a single course or workshop; we need to cultivate a new leadership culture, including peer coaching groups. A newly appointed editorial manager needs something completely different than a (deputy) editor-in-chief or producer. These learning paths all need to be thoughtfully designed and developed.\u201d<\/p>\n

        \u201cTraditionally, we think of a leader as a sort of general leading the troops. A Rupert Murdoch or Christian van Thillo,\u201d says Goossen. But her research shows that a good journalistic leader is someone who is constantly focused on the people they lead. \u201cIt\u2019s someone who balances between themselves, the organization, and the audience. Someone who is highly socially sensitive, incredibly communicative, and, above all, someone with little ego who can still make decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n

        However, simply cutting out everyone who doesn\u2019t fit that profile is not the solution, according to Goossen. The traditional image of the general has left us with few introverted or female leaders, though this is slowly changing. \u201cIt\u2019s not out of malice. We don\u2019t need to eliminate all current leaders. Journalism is under enormous pressure. If we leave all these armies without their generals, things won\u2019t improve.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n

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