In the Netherlands there’s a log of self censorship by the newspapers themselves. This is particularly true of the smaller local region papers. These papers are

In the Netherlands there’s a log of self censorship by the newspapers themselves. This is particularly true of the smaller local region papers. These papers are often fed a steady stream of crime related stories from the police. They are quite afraid to criticise the police or government as a result. For example the Limburger. I had a story about serious corruption within the justice department. But they wouldn’t print this unless they had three independent sources they said. No matter how good the proof was. The proof is to be a source in this you pretty much had to be involved or a victim. And the source would have to be prepared to incriminate themselves and break confidentiality with serious implications to themselves. That’s an assuredly high bar and thus they silence themselves.