Eigentijds en eigenzinnig: Een geschiedenis van het Nederlands Dagblad en het Reformatorisch Dagblad (1960-2000)

In 1967 and 1971, two new Reformed newspapers emerged on the Dutch daily newspaper market: the Nederlands Dagblad (ND) and the Reformatorisch Dagblad (RD). Their arrival was surprising, because the journalistic premise of group ideals had mostly been discarded. Many Roman Catholic, Protestant, and Socialist newspapers had adapted their journalism to the preferences of their audiences since the nineteenth century; this changed from the 1960s as the idea of close-knit communities lost meaning. As the government began to play an increasingly important role in organising people’s lives, more and more journalists presented themselves as watchdogs of the government. From then on, the journalist’s repertoire consisted of a critical eye, a desire to expose wrongdoing, and an independent attitude. With this, the journalistic profession established itself as the guardian of the public interest. The ND and the RD were at odds with this journalistic trend. The ideals of different Reformed communities were the focal point for the foundation of both newspapers. Over time, these two newspapers succeeded in becoming important representatives of the vrijgemaakt gereformeerden and the interdenominational bevindelijk gereformeerden, respectively. The group of vrijgemaakten was created after a major church split during the Second World War. The stakes of the battle were telling: in 1944, Klaas Schilder and his followers had to liberate themselves from the Gereformeerde Kerken to remain Reformed. The nd proclaimed this Reformed (Liberated) view, although the newspaper’s message was intended for outsiders as well. With the help of the ND, the nation’s Christian character could be preserved. This tension between the exclusively liberated message and the national ambition was typical of the ND until the 1990s. To date, the ND and RD occupy a special place in the Dutch media landscape.