Dutch Royal House Code of Conduct for the Press (Media Code)

[Silvermj]

Hello to all the members. this is my first post here and I sincerely hope I have not missed a similar post.
Today it was announced here the Dutch Royal House has issued a Code of conduct for the press due to some pictures taken and published without persmission neither from her parents not the Royal House of little Catharina-Amalia.
It was also informed there was a kind of "reward" for those photographers that do follow that Code, by being granted press passes to certain Royal events.

May any of you explain this further and tell if this Code was agreed by both the Royal Press and the Dutch Press and if this Code is also meant for foreign countries ? (I do recall the problems CP Willem-Alexander and Princess Maxima had last year with tabloid journalists here).

Thanks in advance!

 

[User0501]

Hello to all the members. this is my first post here and I sincerely hope I have not missed a similar post.
Today it was announced here the Dutch Royal House has issued a Code of conduct for the press due to some pictures taken and published without persmission neither from her parents not the Royal House of little Catharina-Amalia.
It was also informed there was a kind of "reward" for those photographers that do follow that Code, by being granted press passes to certain Royal events.

May any of you explain this further and tell if this Code was agreed by both the Royal Press and the Dutch Press and if this Code is also meant for foreign countries ? (I do recall the problems CP Willem-Alexander and Princess Maxima had last year with tabloid journalists here).

Thanks in advance!

Here is the link > http://www.koninklijkhuis.nl/english/content.jsp?objectid=16824

 

[Marengo]

I believe the code has been a succes for the Crownprince and his family. Snapshots are rarely placed in magazines/newspapers anymore (I can only recall Amalia beiong present at the entrance of Sinterklaas in Wassenaar as a breech of this code). Luckiliy the Crownprince also sticks to his end of the bargain and makes sure that there are enough moments where his daughters can be photographed by the media. Due to this succes they did a simular thing with Maurits and Marilene, though I am not to sure if it will have the same amount of succes. As the couple lives in busy Amsterdam and anybody has a camera on their mobile phone these days it would be a bit naive of them to expect that they won't be photographed.

I read somewhere that the succes off this code has come under the attention of other royal houses and that some are researching if they can do a simular thing in their own country (Norway at least and maybe Denmark to). The article mentioned that it would be virtually impossible to get such a code in Spain.

 

[Ghislaine]

Am I alone in finding this a bad development?
I see a parallel with celebs: media and fans made them famous and when they are the rich and famous, they don't want to know the media and fans anymore. The same with the royals: they want and need the press if they are doing charity and if they are having a "do" (celebration, jubilee, etc) but otherwise the media can get lost. Not fair imo. I'd love it if the media (and fans) went on strike over this kind of thing and didn't show at, say, the next big event. Absolutely no one to wave too and no one to take pictures. The look on the royals faces would be priceless...

With regard to this media code (= media muzzling), I found Beatrix's christmas speech hypocritical. Praising freedom of speech, but on the other hand muzzling the media herself.

 

[Marengo]

Well, the royal family are not monkeys in a circus, everytime we clap they have to show up and do a trick (that is the odd feelng I get at Queensday when I see almost middle aged royals doing childrensgames).

I think th RF has every right to protect their private life. IMO they still give the media a lot of opportunities to make pictures of them, especially while on duty but also familypicture of little Amalia and Alexia.

I do not see why th freedom of the press is in danger because the gossip press has agreed to a code of conduct that they will not print paparazzi pictures. The press can still write critical serious articles about the RF but this code was clearly created to prevent the RF from being stalked while on holiday, especially the little Princesses.

 

[Verde Esmeralda]

May any of you explain this further and tell if this Code was agreed by both the Royal Press and the Dutch Press and if this Code is also meant for foreign countries ? (I do recall the problems CP Willem-Alexander and Princess Maxima had last year with tabloid journalists here).

Tabloid journalists are certainly a nightmare in Argentina, as in every other country ... still Maxima does not have a very open attitude to any kind of press whatsoever when coming to BA...she's been here many times, in non-official journeys, and the general comment in the press is ... that she despises anything remotely similar to journalists.

 

[Verde Esmeralda]

I wonder how the Code works for this kind of incidents.

Dutch royals' secret papers found - Peculiar Postings - MSNBC.com

Dutch royals’ secret documents found in trash

Reporters found business cards with home addresses, travel plans

AMSTERDAM - Dutch journalists found classified information about Queen Beatrix and her family in a trash container behind royal offices in The Hague, prompting embarrassed authorities on Wednesday to improve security.
Current affairs television program NOVA said its reporters found bags full of official documents, business cards with home addresses and information about the heir to the throne, Crown Prince Willem-Alexander, and his wife Maxima.
The unsecured container behind Royal Cabinet offices also contained a list of planned state visits by Queen Beatrix abroad -- as well as visits to the Netherlands by foreign heads of state -- until 2010.

NOVA said it would not publish all the details for security reasons.
A member of parliament told NOVA it was "perplexing and embarrassing" how carelessly the documents were handled. Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende said measures had been taken immediately to avoid it happening again.
The TV report on Tuesday night of state visits being planned until 2010 seemed to imply Queen Beatrix, 69, would stay on the throne at least that long, despite media speculation she might abdicate. Her mother Juliana did so aged 71.
The government press office told Dutch news agency ANP on Wednesday the visits were being organized for the head of state, who could be a successor if the Queen decided to abdicate.

 

[Marengo]

It doesn't apply here, the code mainly focusses on pictures taken without permission of the RF.

 

[Marengo]

Did anybody see the new 'Party' of this week? The are showing pictures of Maxima with her two eldest daughters on the beach. A clear break from the present media code, I think.

 

[Princess Robijn]

Did anybody see the new 'Party' of this week? The are showing pictures of Maxima with her two eldest daughters on the beach. A clear break from the present media code, I think.

But the pictures are so cute!!

 

[Marengo]

True, I must confess I couldn't resist it either and I had a peek in the bookstore.
The pictures ae old btw, she is still pregnant. RTL Boulevard sid that the RVD wants a rectification and an amount of mone for a good cause from the magazine, otherwise they will go to court. But I don' t know how reliable RTL boulevard is in this of course.

 

[Princess Robijn]

The pictures ae old btw, she is still pregnant.

Not according to the magazine. They say WA is at home with his mother and youngest daughter.

 

[Marengo]

I was wondering about that too, on the pictures Maxima didn't look particulary pregnant. However I highly doubt that the Prince of Orange will inform ' Party' about his private plans .

 

[Princess Robijn]

However I highly doubt that the Prince of Orange will inform ' Party' about his private plans .

True, but I think it might be a good guess.. If they had the chance to be with their youngest daughter, I don't think they would leave her with her nanny just to go to the beach.

(Just my opinion)

 

[Marengo]

It is reasonable enough, but I though that the nanny joined Maxima on the beach? There was a blonde lady there too, but it could have been a friend of hers to of course.

 

[Verde Esmeralda]

Is there any link to this magazine where us, de buitenlanders, can take a look at the pics? Thank u!

 

[lucien]

Is there any link to this magazine where us, de buitenlanders, can take a look at the pics? Thank u!

Princess Maxima's current events thread.Allthough I strongly oppose this intrusion of privacy which is in total breach of the media-code.Sue these rags till they're out of business.

 

[Verde Esmeralda]

Thanks Lucien.

I think the images & news gap left by Máxima in the past month and a half is becoming too heavy for the media... logically this does not mean the are entitled to get a picture while breaking the Code.

Still...well the pictures are taken and published already. Let's just enjoy them and leave the dirty work to the lawyers!

 

[lucien]

Princess Maxima's current events thread.Allthough I strongly oppose this intrusion of privacy which is in total breach of the media-code.Sue these rags till they're out of business.

And "Party" rag will be sued since they refuse to give in to RVD demands,ie,rectification and an apology as well as a 10.000 euro fine (for charities) for publishing pictures of Princess Máxima,Amalia and Alexia without consent.They claim the pics are innocent,but innocent or not,it's in total breach with the media-code says the RVD.And rightfully so,since if you allow this once,the hunt is on and all will claim "it's innocent".

 

[Marengo]

Well, I saw the cover of Party today in the bookstand and they had a quater or so of their cover reserved for apologies to Princess Maxima for unallowable violation of the privcy of her and her daughters.

 

[lucien]

Well, I saw the cover of Party today in the bookstand and they had a quater or so of their cover reserved for apologies to Princess Maxima for unallowable violation of the privcy of her and her daughters.

Indeed,Party did apologise and has offered a fine in line with known jurisprudence.

 

[Marengo]

Weblog ´Geenstijl´ received a warning from the ´landsadvocaat´ about the placement of pictures of WA and Maxima in an apple shop in NYC. They claim victory, for those who read dutch, check this out.

In the mean time royal blog is wondering about the strictness of the mediacode, which dutch speakers can read here.

 

[Marengo]

H. Jacobs wrote a piece on hios www.royalblog.nl about the mediacode. He had an article about the Argentinian media during the visit of WA, Maxima and the A-team and showed a part of a page in an Argentinian boulevard magazine. The picture showed esp. the title of the article and you could justsee a face of Maxima. Anyway, he received a letter from the ´landsadvocaat´ that he had to remove the photo...

In his plea he does mention that it is a rather odd situation that the Dutch press can not place pictures while the foreign press can and does. These foreign magazines are sold in The Netherlands as well, so....

 

[Marengo]

Magazine 'Story' has lost the lawsuit that the Prince of Orange and Princess Maxima started against them for publishing pictures of maxima, Amalia and Alexia on the beach in Wassenaar, in June 2007.

You can read the verdict of the Amsterdam Court here (in Dutch only). Apparently the magazine has to pay 3000 euros. Funny that they included Amalia and Alexia in the list of plaintiffs too.

 

[lucien]

Not that funny,their privacy was in the line too,so for jurisprudence this was the right way to formulate.

 

[Marengo]

Amsterdam television station AT5 was summoned by the RVD to remove two pictures and a videoclip from their website about the 10th wedding anniversairy of Prince Maurits and Princess Marilene. Considering that several royals (including princess Margriet) actually posed for the camera's it is rather odd IMO. AT5 removed the images, even though they never signed the mediacode.

I understand that the royals want some privacy but to force this is IMO too much. If they want privacy, celebrate somewhere in a castle in a forest, not in one of the busiest parts of the center of the capital of the country!

The RVD also summoned gossip magazine ' Party' not to publish pictures of celebrity friends of Maurits and Marilene that attended the party... which is od as thus far friends of the royal family were not included in the mediacode.

(Source: De Pers)

-
I think the RVD is trying how far they can go, legally... but by demands like these, that seem a bit childish to many Dutchmen they are pushing their luck and I don' t think the press will accept this treatment for much longer, which means the mediacode will implode sooner or later.

Newspaper 'De Pers' still has two pictures of the event and probably will refuse to take them off the website when asked, they also provided the information above, the article in Dutch can be found here.

 

[sneeuwklokje]

I think that the RVD is getting ridiculous about it. My goodness, it's not if they were fotographed somewhere private, it's on a public road!! Most members of the Dutch RF are not that fussy about photo's, only when their children are involved, which I can understand. Allthough, I don't think it is good for the children in the long term to be kept out of publicity all the time, they will have to get used to it in the future, otherwise they will have an equally odd behaviour towards the press as WA has.

 

[Marengo]

I agree sneeuwklokje, as long as it is to protect their children from overly intruisive media coverage nobody minds this media code, and actually tends to sympathise with it. But to many, occassions like this makes the RVD seem petty and the RF seem like a bunch of whining, spoiled and over priviledged people (not that they are btw). As long as the press doesn't take the cause too seriously I suppose the damage done is small but if they choose to start some sort of hyped campaign about this (as they have done with nearly every other royalty related subject the last decade) I suppose it will be difficult for the RVD to continue to be as strict as they are.

 

[Boris]

It's not only called censorship, it's also executed in the most absurd way as the latest examples of this censorship are indeed petty and ill-advised.
Protecting the Dutch Royals' privacy (on holiday, on a beach, going shopping etc.) is one thing, prohibiting the publication of photos from recent appearances in public (Maxima waving and wearing glasses in Argentina, now the birthday pics) is quite another.
I think they should be much more careful about this restriction of the freedom of the press as the media did truly not invade their privacy on these occasions. Once people in general become more aware of the questionable institution of this 'mediacode', the Dutch RF might risk a well-deserved backlash.

 

[sneeuwklokje]

I agree. Especially with the "Maxima wears glasses" photo, she is actually smiling at the photographer. Not exactly how one would react if you didn't want your picture being taken.