Newspaper & Mailroom
Dutch Newspaper NRC Handelsblad Launches an English Language Website
Wednesday 17. September 2008 - NRC Handelsblad launched its English language website nrc.nl/international on Tuesday, 16 September.
The target group of the new site are foreigners who cannot read Dutch but who are interested in Dutch quality journalism. A selection of news items, background articles, features and opinion articles about Dutch subjects with a cross-border interest will be published daily on nrc.nl/international. Subjects could be, for instance, the military mission in Uruzgan, the debates on integration and European issues, cultural and scientific developments, major infrastructure projects such as waterworks, and news about multinational companies and the royal family. The impact from abroad on the Netherlands of such issues as the American elections and Brussels will also be subjects for the English language reporting.
As well as news, background and opinion articles, nrc.nl/international will publish a discussion forum concentrating on current issues to which prominent Dutch nationals who are also well-known abroad will contribute, such as Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Geert Wilders and State Secretary Frans Timmermans (European Affairs). Maarten Rijkens, ex-top man from Heineken and author of the successful book ‘I always get my sin. Het bizarre Engels van Nederlanders’ (The bizarre English of the Dutch) will contribute a language section. Finally, readers will be given an overview of international (English language) news sources and blogs from prominent opinion formers. Chief editor Birgit Donker says: “We want to take part in the international debate with this site and secure a place in the public domain in Europe.”
Nrc.nl/international will be launched in collaboration with Spiegel Online, the most respected German news site, which is affiliated to the magazine Der Spiegel. This site has an extensive English language section and already has partnerships with other prominent international publications such as the websites of the International Herald Tribune, BusinessWeek and The New York Times. NRC is its first European partner. Both sites will exchange articles weekly in order to give their subjects a European dimension and will develop journalistic projects together.
A second partner of nrc.nl/international is DutchNews.nl. This is a still young but successful website run by two experienced British journalists. The editors of DutchNews.nl will take on the journalistic translation work and final editing for nrc.nl/international. Robin Pascoe, one of the initiators of DutchNews.nl says: “DutchNews.nl shares the vision of NRC that there are still many untapped possibilities for English language quality journalism about the Netherlands. We are proud to form part of this innovative initiative. The two English language websites will enrich and complement each other.”
NRC aims to strengthen its international profile with the launching of nrc.nl/international and the partnerships and consolidate the position of nrc.nl as the most important website for quality journalism.