Minister Dijkgraaf has responded to the situation at the Eindhoven University of Technology. The minister finds it “highly undesirable” that Cursor went black because the journalistic independence of the medium is at stake.
Objection in black
In early October, the editors of university magazine Cursor put the website on black when the magazine’s editor-in-chief was removed from his position. This happened after the university censored a critical article about a new board member because, according to the same board, the article ‘did not meet journalistic standards’.
Education Ministers response
Parliamentary questions were raised about the situation by GroenLinks and the SP, which have now been answered by outgoing Education Minister Robbert Dijkgraaf. The minister would not comment on the chief editor’s dismissal. He also believes that – on paper – journalistic independence is sufficiently guaranteed. Whether there is also sufficient independence in practice, the minister does not dare to say.
No consent
According to the editors of Cursor, the new rector of the TU/e did not agree to publication of the article about him, the minister writes. Because the rector is not only an interviewee but also a member of the board, and therefore publisher of Cursor, this was seen as a publication ban by the editors, the minister writes.
Dijkgraaf did say that he finds it a worrying development if there is increasing pressure not to publish critical articles.
‘Worrying signal’
“I think there should be room in university journals for articles that are critical of one’s own organisation, provided that journalistic quality standards such as hearing both sides of the argument are applied. If there is increasing pressure not to publish certain articles that are seen as undesirable, I think that is a worrying signal,” the minister says.
Source: Studio040.nl
Translated by: Anitha Sevugan
