Censorship in Eindhoven was about rector’s conflict of interests

Eindhoven University of Technology went to great lengths to stop the publication of an unwelcome article about the new rector, national daily De Volkskrant reports. The incident has led to a lot of commotion.

The new rector is called Silvia Lenaerts. Last year, the former member of the Executive Board of Antwerp University wrote an opinion piece in the Flemish daily De Standaard about the controversial construction of a tunnel in Antwerp. However, she forgot to mention her own interests in the matter: she was part of the board of directors of a company involved in the construction.

What’s more, Eindhoven climate activists were angry that she was featured in an ad by the chemical corporation Ineos, endorsing the equally controversial production of ethylene in the Port of Antwerp. They protested with banners at her inauguration as TU/e rector.

Rebuttal
In the censored Cursor article, she claims that she didn’t know it was an ad, which gives her ample room for rebuttal. “Afterwards, I felt abused by the interviewer and by Ineos, but the communication department advised me not to rock the boat even more, so we let it go.”

Earlier this week, the website of the university magazine Cursor was blacked out because the editor-in-chief Han Konings was removed from his post with immediate effect. He had worked there for almost 22 years. The reason for the dismissal is still unclear, as he didn’t even publish the article.

Cursor’s editorial board – chaired by a reputation expert and without any journalists among its members – was sent the interview in advance and believed its publication would harm the interests of the university. The Executive Board also applied some pressure.

The board members, however, don’t see things this way. Notwithstanding the sacking of the editor-in-chief, the Executive Board writes the following in a response: “If the editor-in-chief wants to publish the articles concerned, there’s nothing stopping them from doing so.”

The editorial board also washes its hands, as evidenced by this statement: “Rather than hampering the development and functioning of Cursor and its team of editors, the editorial board wants to make a positive contribution. We have never prohibited a publication.”

Bridget Spoor, the author of the article, won’t take the censorship lying down. She has used the university’s whistleblower scheme to submit a complaint. Her complaint is still pending. Cursor's editors are demanding a new, independent editorial board. They also want to have a say in the appointment of a new editor-in-chief and the editorial statute to be reviewed to ensure their independence.

Amazed
Outsiders are looking at the situation in amazement. “Periodical reminder that administrators with a censor reflex are the biggest threat to their institution’s reputation”, tweets Tim Ficheroux, editor of Rotterdam's Erasmus Magazine.

Interest group WOinActie has also reacted: “One of WOinActie’s fundamental principles is that a university can only function properly if it’s independent, and that means the university press must be independent too.”

Folkert Jensma, a journalist for the NRC newspaper, who has recently been awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Amsterdam, tweets: “Long live unwelcome articles! They serve the academic community best.”

Journalist union NVJ says the editing team has made a wise decision by blacking out the site. General secretary Thomas Bruning tweets: “Better to remain blacked out and independent than dance to the tune of Eindhoven University of Technology’s board. @nvj stands with you!”

News medium ScienceGuide also supports Cursor and recognises the pressure some education institutions put on journalists. “Our editing team is actually being subjected to legal harassment by a university as we write this. That’s the second time this year.”

Parliamentary questions
The political parties SP and GroenLinks asked parliamentary questions about the incident. They asked the Minister of Education, Robbert Dijkgraaf: “Do you share the opinion that at a public democratic institution, such as a university or university of applied sciences, the journalistic freedom and independence of institutional magazines shouldn’t be compromised in any way?”. The two parties are also requesting an investigation into the journalistic freedom of magazines at universities and universities of applied sciences.

“We attached great importance to independent news,” says Demi Janssen of the Dutch National Students' Association, whose membership is made up of student councils at higher education institutions. “Magazines at universities and universities of applied sciences should have the freedom to report news as they see fit after duly hearing all parties involved. Reliable and impartial information must be safeguarded.”