Netherlands: Culture Minister concerned about foreign takeover of newspapers

Posted by Alisa Zykova on November 18, 2008 at 9:44 AM

The Dutch governenment may be probing into the takeover of the country's paper's by outside groups, according to the European Journalism Centre. Culture Minister Ronald Plasterk mentions that he wishes to look into the possibility of protecting the newspapers "against possible dangers of being owned by a foreign firm."

In a letter to MPs, Plasterk expresses concern for the high return on investments that new owners may be asking for. His worries may be linked to the "turbulent departure" of Apax from publisher PCM, which prints titles like the Volksrant, and the turmoil caused at Wegener, which publishes mostly regional papers, after it was taken over by prominent European newspaper and content firm Mecom.

The Minister points out that he enlarged state subsidies to a special fund that will promote diversity in the Dutch media sphere, adding that free publications are eligible to apply for the fund.

Source: European Journalism Centre