Editor Natasha Gunn attends a debate at De Balie in Amsterdam, which looks at the general image of the Netherlands abroad, and how the image is created. The foreign press now portrays the Dutch as a society seeking a solution rather than having the answers

Ten years ago Holland was viewed as a liberal leader in ethical questions, a society in which social experimentation was possible.

Isabel Ferrer of El País remembered that the majority of stories she covered around this time were human interest, sport and business. Now she is dealing with issues of the Fortuyn legacy.  The Spanish have been "flabbergasted" by turns in events such as the murder of film director Theo van Gogh and the expulsion of outspoken anti-Islamist Hirsi Ali, she said.

An article published by IHT at the time sums it up neatly: Hirsi Ali "has been a lightning rod in a country that is moving to the right as it struggles with how to deal with immigrants, most of them Muslim. After two high-profile assassinations, people are deeply divided over whether to be cautious or blunt toward Muslims who settle in the Netherlands but do not adapt to the country's social mores".

 Gerald de Hemptinne of AFP said the French were amazed at how the Netherlands had treated Hirsi Ali. In effect they threw their own icon out of the country, he said.  His impression is that the Netherlands is in a recovery period following the last few years of set-backs and the image of the Netherlands abroad will continue to be negative until the nation finds a clear direction.

Muslim integration, citizenship laws, compulsory tests and the controversial views of right-wing politician Geert Wilders may be the stories the foreign media have been latching onto recently, but Charles van Renesse of  Amsterdam Partners said the picture wasn't all black.

"The image of Amsterdam is stronger than the rest of the Netherlands," he said, describing what he sees as a shift from sex, drugs and rock and roll to the image of a creative business city.

Hans Peter van der Woude, head Communications Division Ministry of Foreign Affairs also mentioned a poll where the questions "Do you feel the Netherlands is more tolerant now than two years ago?" was put to nationals in China, Germany, the UK and France. In all four countries the majority replied  'yes', he said.

Van der Woude admitted that explaining events such as the Hirsi Ali affair to people abroad had been a difficult process for the Foreign Ministry. They'd  plumped for damage control and decided to send out a message through Dutch Ambasadors to highlight the fact that Ali had decided to leave the Netherlands before the naturalisation issue arose. But the news had already broken.

Which brought up the closing point made by Annette Birschel, chair of the Foreign Press Association - that the foreign press would prefer to get more information from the outset.

The government and key organisations really need to take a more pro-active approach with the foreign media, considering that important news will travel out anyhow, she said.

Natasha Gunn
Editor
Expatica Netherlands

26 February 2007

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