NOS Sport directors resign over transgressive behavior reports; Hotline head steps down
The editors-in-chief of NOS Sport are stepping down with immediate effect following reports of irregular behavior and an unsafe working environment in the broadcaster’s sports department. Janke Dekker, the partner of Tom Egbers, one of the accused of misconduct, also announced her resignation as Chair of MORES, the media misconduct hotline.
On Friday, Volkskrant reported on widespread transgressive behavior at NOS Sport. Among other things, Egbers is said to have bullied and molested a colleague after ending an affair with her when his partner Dekker found out about it. Egbers has already announced that it will not appear on television for the time being.
According to NOS, an inventory commissioned by NOS revealed that almost a hundred people had reported bullying and sexual harassment, among other things, to external confidants. The reports cover the last 20 years. For most of the period since 2004, the NOS Sport editorial team has been managed by outgoing editor-in-chief Maarten Nooter and his deputies Pim Marks and Ewoud van Winsen. Selma Schuurman later joined.
On Thursday, the editors-in-chief announced their gradual retirement over a period of months. After the Volkskrant article, they decided to resign immediately.
According to NOS director Gerard Timmer, they made the initial decision to ensure “duty of care and continuity.” But after the talks that have been held since then, “the concept of urgency” has become clear, said Timmer. “We need to accelerate this phased withdrawal.”
Timmer said the main focus, according to the NOS, is how to deal with “those who have experienced this”. “How do we make sure we do what they want well, that we guide them when needed?”
Janke Dekker did not explain her decision to step down in her statement announcing her departure from MORES, which she has headed since 2018, reports NU.nl. She addressed the Volkskrant article and accused her husband of transgressive behavior. The article stated that Dekker did not want to answer. That is “incomplete and therefore not correct,” she says.
Dekker said she tried to speak to Volkskrant and her lawyer made an appointment to do so. “The inappropriate argument they used to cancel this appointment with my attorney partially caused me not to answer their questions they emailed me on Friday.”
The Volkskrant told NU.nl that he “would have liked to speak to Ms Dekker before publication and also made several suggestions to that end”, but she declined. “She also refused to answer our questions,” the newspaper said. “Richerd Korver, Janke Dekker’s lawyer, wanted a confidential meeting, but for unclear reasons did not want to clarify whether he was also representing Tom Egbers. Because of this ambiguity, we decided against speaking to Korver.”