Mediahuis — Journalistic annual report — 2020 > EDITORS-IN-CHIEF ABOUT 2020 > The Netherlands > Erik Wijnholds

Psychologist Els Slurink was just 33. On the first day of spring in 1997, she was murdered in her home in Groningen. Stabbed. The perpetrator has never been found.

The editorial team at Dagblad van het Noorden has since created a modest tradition, in which a team of reporters investigates a cold case. At the end of 2019, Marijke Brouwer, Willem Dekker and Jeroen Kelderman began to look at Els Slurink’s case. The files were reopened one more time in a final attempt to shed some light on her murder.

All the files were assessed and the reporters spoke to family, friends, acquaintances, colleagues and those who had been involved in the police investigation. They also spoke to people who had come under suspicion. It was investigative journalism in its purest form. It led to the series In het hart geraakt: six powerful reports including a meticulous reconstruction of Els’s final 24 hours.

The reporters exposed some serious questions about the police operation. It also became apparent that a suspect had never submitted DNA, which would have been a logical course of action. .

In its essence, our journalism has not changed. Only the manner in which we tell our stories

Their articles appeared in print and online, and a special three-part podcast was also made based on the research. This is the second podcast about a cold case, following the famous series on the Kofferbakmoord. It turned out to be an excellent way of reaching new people. In het hart geraakt was listened to by a large audience, with the number of downloads approaching 215,000.

In its essence, our journalism has not changed, only the manner in which we tell our stories and thereby reach a new audience.

At the end of 2020, it was hard to believe we had known so little about the coronavirus at the beginning of the year. When the virus began to take hold in Europe and later the Netherlands in February and March, there was lots that remained unclear. That’s why the editorial team of Dagblad van het Noorden decided to bring in virologist Coretta van Leer from UMCG for a live broadcast on DVHN.nl and Facebook. Health reporter Arend van Wijngaarden presented the show. Before and during the broadcast, viewers could ask questions directly. The editorial team was able to put the programme together quickly because the technical production was done by its own NDC Productiehuis.

The programme clearly fulfilled a need. The viewing figures were good and it was watched again on demand remarkably often.

In the meantime, the format has expanded to become DVHN/LC Live and the broadcasts no longer focus only on coronavirus and the consequences of the pandemic. Every Tuesday to Friday at 12.15, a presenter and an expert discuss questions from the public on a current topic. DVHN and LC each prepare half of the broadcast and it’s shown on the channels of both titles. And on Mondays? Then the shared football programme Het Ballenhok is shown at the same time.