Establishment of foundations for NU.nl and RTL Nieuws

05/10/2025

The editorial independence and identity of NU.nl and RTL Nieuws have been further secured with the establishment of the NU.nl Foundation and the RTL Nieuws Foundation. This follows the acquisition of RTL Nederland by DPG Media, for which the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) has imposed several conditions. The editorial statutes of both editorial teams have also been updated.

The two foundations are completely independent of DPG Media and their core task is to oversee the preservation of the identity, editorial independence, and free availability of news via the websites and apps of both news media.

The board of the NU.nl Foundation consists of Ronald Ockhuysen (director of the VandenEnde Foundation and former editor-in-chief of Het Parool) and Irene Costera Meijer (professor emeritus of Journalism Studies at VU University Amsterdam).

The RTL Nieuws Foundation consists of directors Petra ter Doest (career advisor and former journalist and manager at various organizations) and Arendo Joustra (journalist and former editor-in-chief at Elsevier/EW). The directors of both foundations will select a third member.

"Free, accessible news is incredibly important, especially in these times when traditional media are under pressure. Since its founding in 1999, NU.nl has reached many readers without a newspaper or news website subscription. It is an honorable and urgent task to ensure that this remains the case and that the editorial team can always do its work in complete freedom," say Irene Costera Meijer and Ronald Ockhuysen.

Petra ter Doest and Arendo Joustra emphasize: "Helping to safeguard the identity of RTL Nieuws and its independence within this large new group is a mission we are passionate about. RTL Nieuws holds a unique and important position within the news industry in the Netherlands and within DPG Media. There is every reason to cherish it."

Both foundations will have a strong position within the DPG Media organization, comparable to the foundations for Het Parool, Trouw, and de Volkskrant. The most important powers are:

  • Right to approve changes: The foundations must approve changes to the editorial statutes and identity of NU.nl and RTL Nieuws, respectively. Their approval is also required for the sale or cessation of the publication's activities.

  • Editorial Board: The foundations participate in the appointment committee for a new editor-in-chief and must approve the appointment and dismissal of the editor-in-chief.

  • Shareholding: The foundations are co-shareholders of DPG Media B.V. As a result, a delegation from both foundations participates annually in the DPG Media shareholders' meeting, just like the foundations of de Volkskrant and Trouw, among others.

This step establishes the formal agreements with the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) and provides additional safeguards for the independent journalistic future of NU.nl and RTL Nieuws under the DPG Media umbrella.