schandalenrapportage

Schandalenrapportage is a term used in Dutch-language journalism to describe investigative reporting that focuses on uncovering scandals within public institutions, corporations, or other powerful organizations. The word is a compound of schandaal and rapportage and is used to characterize a style of reporting that centers on exposing wrongdoing, mismanagement, or improper influence.

Practically, schandalenrapportage often involves assembling a narrative from multiple sources, examining documents, analyzing data, and interviewing insiders, whistleblowers, and experts. It may be published as a single investigative article or as a multi-part series.

The aim is to hold power to account by clarifying what happened, how it happened, who was involved, and what consequences followed. It often seeks to establish timelines, verify claims through corroborating evidence, and distinguish between allegations and proven facts.

Ethical considerations include source protection, the risk of defamation, and the potential impact on individuals and institutions. Newsrooms typically apply editorial standards, legal reviews, and ethical guidelines to balance public interest with harm minimization.

Reception and impact vary; schandalenrapportage can lead to official investigations, policy changes, resignations, or reforms, but can also provoke debate about sensationalism, bias, or the reliability of sources. In practice, the term denotes both a method and a goal of exposing wrongdoing through rigorous reporting.

See also: investigative journalism, data journalism, whistleblowing.