Dear residents of Schilderswijk, – Wedding

Dear residents of Schilderswijk, – Wedding

Managing Editor Wedding – 12/26/14, 22:58

© Maartje Geels. Cees van der Laan, editor Trouw.

Thanks for your letter. You rightly points out that we as a newspaper have an important social role, a role we take very seriously. We are not known as a medium that blends them things, or would like to cause social hypes. Our strength lies in more reflection, in restraint, and in providing interpretation and background.

In your letter explain that Schilderswijk reputation has been damaged by the controversy after publication of the article in Trouw Perdiep Ramesar a part of your neighborhood. As you notice, there are many causes that contributed to the turmoil after publication, but the article has played a role is also to us beyond dispute. And unfortunately we can with the knowledge of today no longer stand behind assertions in that article.

Also, we have to conclude that it could come in the newspaper because executives during that period, as at other times, the explanation of Ramesar have believed about his use of sources. We also sincerely regret that this people in your neighborhood are hurt and that the reputation of the district is affected by the subsequently generated controversy.

You ask us to talk about our responsibility towards our readers and in the public debate. We are happy to offer that. We would like you to talk about the impact of the story, about the diversity of the neighborhood, about the problems the residents contend with, about the opportunities they see and the opportunities they exploit.

Listen and discuss
We will immediately start entering that conversation of January. We will listen and discuss with you. And potentially opens the conversation in a journalistic project that does justice to the neighborhood and its residents.

The issue Ramesar has great impact, even outside Schilderswijk. Readers have e-mails and calls given their support to the newspaper and to the more than one hundred journalists who do day in and day out to conscientiously do their work. There is, however, also voiced strong criticism by readers, now is not only that the Trouw journalist has deceived the whole, but also to signals from that deception by managers is not adequate and alertly. The editorial is the same reason a sharp debate going. Some media set their sights on Wedding, others turn to self-reflection about their dealings with sources.

We can not take away the short term the criticisms and unrest. But we hope that we can convince the next period that this affair is not representative of the quality of Allegiance, nor the quality of the journalists working for the newspaper.

Managing Editor Wedding

Read the open letter from residents of the Schilderswijk to the editors of Allegiance.