Reading newspapers is a good way to understand a country and its inhabitants. At the same time, it is a great opportunity to learn the language. Although the Netherlands is not a large country, the offer on the local press market is wide. What do the Dutch read and which newspapers have the greatest influence on Dutch public opinion?
Apart from the free daily “Metro”, the newspapers with the largest circulation in the Netherlands are “De Telegraaf” (approx. 450,000 copies, according to data from the HOI institute from 2014) and “AD” (short for “Algemeen Dagblad”, approx. 347,000 copies). In addition to news from Poland and the world, there is also room in these newspapers for sports, large photos, gossip or less serious texts. They could be considered tabloids, although compared to, for example, the Polish “Fakt” or “Super Express” or the German “Bild” or the British “The Sun”, they are more serious in nature.
National titles with smaller circulations than “De Telegraaf” and “AD”, but with great prestige, are the opinion-forming dailies “De Volkskrant” (approx. 220,000 copies), “NRC Handelsblad” (approx. 170,000 copies) and “Trouw” (88,000 copies). Also of a national character are the smaller “NRC Next” (52,000), aimed mainly at young readers, the business “Het Financieele Dagblad” (47,000) and the Protestant “Reformatorisch Dagblad” (44,000) and “Nederlands Dagblad” (22,000).
In addition, there are many regional dailies in the Netherlands, and the largest and best-known include, among others: “De Gelderlander” (available mainly in the province of Gelderland), “Dagblad van het Noorden” (north of the country), “De Limburger” (Limburg), “Noordhollands Dagblad” (Alkmaar and the surrounding area), “De Stentor” (Flevoland, Gelderland), “Brabants Dagblad” (Brabant) or the Amsterdam “Het Parool”.
Many Dutch people still pay for a subscription to their favourite daily newspaper and read the paper editions of the newspapers. As in most countries of the world, however, newspaper circulation is falling, and more and more people limit themselves to reading news on the Internet. Some newspapers do not provide all their texts for free online and in order to access the content, you have to buy an online subscription. For two years now, the blendle.com portal has been operating in the Netherlands, thanks to which you can browse almost all Dutch newspapers online and buy individual texts from them. This is a very interesting, innovative service, and the company Blendle, founded by young Dutchmen, has also entered the German and American markets. Creating an account on blendle.com is free (you even get 2.50 euros for your first purchase), so for people who want to read a text from this or that Dutch newspaper from time to time, this is a very practical solution.
Which Dutch newspaper is worth buying if you don’t know Dutch well yet and are looking for simple, short texts? Which title can be recommended to sports enthusiasts, and which to entrepreneurs looking for business news? Below is basic information about the main nationwide dailies in the Netherlands (we are leaving out niche Protestant dailies and regional newspapers).
“De Telegraaf” – is, in terms of circulation, the largest nationwide paid daily in the Netherlands. It combines the features of a so-called tabloid (a sensational, entertainment newspaper like “Fakt”) with the features of a regular news daily. So you can find both show business gossip and serious economic news here. “De Telegraaf” also has a clear political profile: it is relatively Eurosceptic and right-wing, and when it comes to the economy – liberal (the daily even advertises itself as “the newspaper of the hard-working Dutch”). So you can find complaints about Brussels, high taxes, and sometimes also about immigrants. “De Telegraaf” devotes a lot of space to sports. The articles are usually not very long, and the language is quite simple, so even people who do not speak perfect Dutch can read this daily with understanding.
“AD” (“Algemeen Dagblad”) – in terms of circulation, this is the second largest paid newspaper in the Netherlands. “AD” provides information in a light form, and the texts are accompanied by many photos. Like “De Telegraaf”, this newspaper combines the features of a tabloid and a serious news daily. Unlike “De Telegraaf”, this title does not have a clear political profile and tries to remain neutral. For some, this is an advantage (“they are objective”), for others a disadvantage (“they are bland”). In terms of language, this is probably the easiest Dutch daily to read for people learning Dutch. There are many short texts, written in simple language, and they concern not only politics or the economy, but also everyday life (weather, shopping, health). “AD” devotes a lot of space to sports, so like “De Telegraaf”, it is very popular among fans.
“De Volkskrant” – the largest opinion-forming daily newspaper in the Netherlands (circulation around 220,000), published since 1919. In the 1960s it was a newspaper with a Catholic profile, now it has a more center-left character. Here we can find news, commentary and columns, as well as a lot of political, economic and cultural information. It has a less elitist character than “NRC Handelsblad”, although both of these titles enjoy similar prestige and are very opinion-forming. Texts in “De Volkskrant” may seem more difficult to understand to people who do not know Dutch than, for example, articles from “AD”.
“NRC Handelsblad”– unlike most national newspapers in the Netherlands, “NRC Handelsblad” (abbreviated as “NRC”) hits the newsstands not in the morning, but only in the late afternoon. “NRC Handelsblad” is a newspaper with a liberal, pro-European, progressive profile. Voters of the anti-immigration populist Wilders are unlikely to reach for this daily (they would rather reach for e.g. “De Telegraaf”). You will find here many texts on foreign affairs, economy, politics, art and literature. “NRC” is considered a fairly elite daily, read mainly by people with higher education, higher earnings and working, for example, in administration, universities or in culture. People who do not know Dutch well or are just learning the language will have problems understanding many of the longer texts published here, e.g. essays, commentaries or columns.
“Trouw” – this daily began to be published during World War II as an illegal newspaper of the Dutch underground, and in 2012 it was awarded the title “European Newspaper of the Year”. Today, Trouw is no longer clearly associated with a single religious group, but the newspaper has retained its specific character, which is reflected in the fact that it devotes a lot of space to issues related to religion, philosophy, ethics and moral dilemmas. Trouw journalists also often write about healthcare, environmental protection, education and science. Trouw is a respected opinion-forming daily, although with a smaller circulation than De Volkskrant or NRC.
NRC Next is the younger “brother” of NRC Handelsblad. This newspaper is aimed mainly at young (20-40 years old), well-educated readers who are looking not so much for news (which they get from the Internet) but for additional information that will allow them to better understand the world. NRC Next often writes on different topics than other newspapers, and when it does cover current affairs, it tries to look at them from a different perspective. The circulation of the newspaper is small, however, and the future of this daily is uncertain.
“Het Financieele Dagblad” – is a daily published since 1943 devoted to the economy, economics, business, stock exchange and entrepreneurship. A large part of the circulation is sold through subscriptions, and the readers of “Het Financieele Dagblad” are mainly entrepreneurs, financiers, bankers, investors and lawyers. In this daily we will also find a lot of information about the Internet and new technologies. “Het Financieele Dagblad” is an opinion-forming title in the field of economics, but for people who are not interested in economics, reading this title will not be very interesting.
In summary: if you are looking for simple information presented in an accessible way (also on less “serious” topics) and your Dutch is not very good, reach for “AD” or “De Telegraaf”. If your Dutch is already quite good and you are looking for serious texts that will allow you to understand Dutch politics in more detail, for example, then reading “De Volkskrant” and “NRC Handelsblad” will help you. Consider buying “Trouw” if religious, ethical or moral issues are particularly important to you, and “NRC Next” if you want to look at the news from a different perspective. If you are an entrepreneur and want to know what is happening in the Dutch and global economy, consider subscribing to “Het Financieele Dagblad”. And if you are looking for information about events in your area, choose one of the many Dutch regional newspapers, such as “De Gelderlander”, “Dagblad van het Noorden” or “De Limburger”.