Free English paper with Dutch news

Two British journalists have started an English language paper with Dutch news. Dutchnews.nl is mailed for free to subscribers, who can print the newspaper or read it on internet. The newspaper will present daily news from The Netherlands. During important events such as elections there will extra editions for background information. The latest edition of the newspaper is downloadable from 16.00h.

The newspaper is run by the British journalists Robin Pascoe and Abi Daruvalla , who live in Amsterdam and work for more than 20 years in The Netherlands. They aim at the 100.000 emigrants in The Netherlands and consider this a niche market for quality journalism aimed at foreign professionals working and living in The Netherlands. The newspaper will be financed by ads.

The newspaper is intended for foreign people living in The Netherlands, who cannot read Dutch, but are still interested to know what is happening in the country they are living in. Besides the news the newspaper will explain Dutch institutes and phenomena in Alphabetical Soup, a lexicon of acronyms, abbreviations and general jargon.

In today’s newspaper the editors mix business news about the Dutch part of the steel company Corus with the news that the newspaper company Wegener will sell its direct-mail division. But the newspaper has also an item on the Dutch history canon. Historians have come up with a checklist of 50 icons or windows to illustrate 3,000 years of Dutch history. Ranging from the megalithic tombs in Drenthe (hunebeds) to the euro, the aim of the Canon van Nederland is to outline what important elements in the development of the Netherlands could be taught at both a primary and secondary level.

It is interesting to see that the jounalists see a market for themselves in The Netherlands. I am wondering whether they will also have a market outside The Netherlands. The are Dutch and English newsletters for ex-pats, but they have ainmed at people born in The Netherlands. Dutchnews does not suppose that you have been born in The Netherlands. As such the scope of the newspaper is wider.

Update 12/06/2008:

Tags: journalism

Blog Posting Number: 540