As a researcher on value and values in journalism, Lott Fransen jumped at the chance of working on De Gelderlander’s free newspaper project. “I immediately thought it was a great initiative. To reach and inform vulnerable people, initiatives like this are very much needed.” Fransen surveyed the free De Gelderlander newspaper readers on three occasions, as well as a vulnerable group that didn’t have access to the newspaper.

“The results speak for themselves,” the communication scientist concludes. “By reading the newspaper, people’s selfconfidence visibly grew. But the most important differences were seen in a number of other areas. For instance, readers indicated that using the subscription gives them more confidence in making choices in general. We also saw a change when it came to interest in politics. Readers of the newspaper were found to have a greater readiness to vote than people who hadn’t received a free subscription.”

Some reader responses touched Fransen personally. “One reader expressed how happy he was to be able to have a conversation with highly educated people now. Another felt they had been given the chance to participate in society again. This feedback really jumped out at me.” And so Fransen committed to conducting a new survey in which she plans to dig a little deeper in 2025.

In the Belgian provincial town of Sint-Niklaas, 500 families call on De Springplank every week for food aid or advice on problems. At one time, Kees van Hoof also knocked on the door of the organisation where he now volunteers.

“I worked as a truck driver for a long time, but became disabled and lost my job. Suddenly I was no longer allowed to work, even though I still wanted to.” Van Hoof, a personable and good-humoured man, proudly tells us how, as a Dutchman in Belgium, he finally has Belgian citizenship after 24 years.

“Recently, I bought a newspaper, which cost me almost 4 euros. If I’m careful, I can buy a day’s worth of food with that amount. In other words, I can’t afford a newspaper.” But now he reads Het Laatste Nieuws every day, thanks to the free newspaper project. “I now have access to the additional articles that give me a lot of extra information. I am very interested in politics and reading the newspaper means I’m better informed than before.”

Van Hoof is a very happy reader but he does need to get something off his chest. “The newspaper doesn’t really speak to my reality. Political debates often focus on poverty, but our voice or opinion is rarely heard in them. Our stories aren’t all doom and gloom. There are really positive ones to tell, I promise you.”

As the regional newspaper’s editor-in-chief, Joris Gerritsen wanted to celebrate the 175th anniversary of De Gelderlander in 2023 in a meaningful way. So he and his editors donated 175 free newspaper subscriptions to vulnerable people. “Residents of poor neighbourhoods are often unable to pay for subscriptions, which leads to an ever-widening information gap,” Joris notes. “That gap has many consequences: it can harm their health, reduce their job opportunities and make them feel less involved, which also makes them less likely to vote.”

At Gerritsen’s childhood home, the adage was that everyone has the right to participate in society. “My father was a social worker who worked in the very poorest neighbourhoods. As an editor-in-chief, I want the newspaper to also publish those people’s stories. Our readers need to know what is going on outside their own world. Vulnerable people don’t seek out the media, but we need to make their voices heard. My ambition is to strengthen that connection between them and the editorial team.”

When the project proved successful, Joris gained the support of his fellow editors-in-chief and convinced company executives to donate five thousand subscriptions in the Netherlands and Flanders. Is his father proud of him now? Joris smiles: “He always is, but this initiative has helped of course.”