13 de Volkskrant

de Volkskrant

EuropEan nEwspapEr oF THE YEar

CAteGorY nAtionwiDe newsPAPer

Cross media: faces behind the masks

De Volkskrant sets the standards with print and online media in the area of visual presentation of contents. “When the masks are thrown off the faces start to speak,” is the headline of a multi-media story dealing with the situation of doctors and nurses at an intensive care unit during the Corona crisis. On the website photos and quotes of the nursing staff can be found plus an article describing the situation.

Link: htt ps://bit.ly/3kew14k

 Jury statement

The editors of de Volkskrant rely on visual journalism which is consequently employed in both print and online media. On the front pages topics of the day are presented as visuals. The inside resembles a magazine layout with lots of white space. Daily events dominate the choice of topics like with all other media. But “de Volkskrant” prefers a more creative grasp in print and online, a diff erent way of approaching a topic, so to speak. In this way, aspects can be found which are not presented in the same way in other media. For example, nursing staff s with masks had been the standard photos on an international level. De Volkskrant, however, shows them without the masks to make their faces speak to us. Congratulation to the great team of journalists, photographers, designers and online specialists that produce such an exemplary and creative newspaper every day.

 About the newspaper

De Volkskrant is a nationwide newspaper in tabloid format issued in Amsterdam with a circulation of 400,000 copies. They employ 65 journalists, 4 photographers and 12 layout designers.

Alternative storytelling for a clear overview

“A European batt le about 1,100 billion Euro”. The topic is Europe‘s budget planning for the coming seven years. A Euro coin broken up into pieces like in a puzzle is used to visualize the issue. The portraits show the four most important politicians in the appropriate discussion. At the bott om of the page, the four issues are presented which cause enormous pressure on the negotiation: – the budget‘s amount – the expenditure – the income – new charges.

Visualization of building land

“The government slackens their rules for building land”. This cover theme is visualized by a sod of grass. The issue, however, is a controversially discussed chemical named PFAS, and the headline on the inside page accordingly asks, “How dangerous is this substance really?” Instead of a single complex article, three smaller text items have been chosen headed by individual questions with the numbers 1 to 3. Above the article are three quotes from experts.

Policy – clearly structured

“Will the Netherlands become a game changer?” asks the headline on the topic of a trade agreement between the EU and Canada. Right in the centre of the double page, a timeline is placed informing about the events during the past ten-year negotiation period. The four text blocks below deal with relevant issues on this topic.

restitution of cultural assets

“What are these museum pieces still doing in the Netherlands?” is the headline on this double page on the restitution of cultural assets to their home countries. Five of those pieces are presented here and described in small text blocks. A typical example of a relaxed magazine layout.

de Volkskrant cross media: reconstruction of a surfi ng accident

The tragic accident happened in the summer of 2020. Five surfers lost their lives because of inclement weathers at the Dutch coast. The lead-in states, “For the fi rst time, parents, brothers, sisters, friends and partners talk about who Sander, Joost, Pim, Max and Mathijs were and what they drove towards the water.” In order to underline the tragedy in a visually pithy way the photos are black and white against a black background. At the end of the story the fi ve surfers are presented in portraits and small articles. Link: htt ps://bit.ly/32uLZ4m

de Volkskrant animated fi lm: homeless

“Niet thuis” – “Away from home” is the heading of a three-piece animated documentary series about people who have lost their homes. A situation which might happen to anybody, but what actually triggers it off ? The fate of becoming homeless is demonstrated with three individuals: a successful TV / fi lm director, a drug addict and a disorderly adolescent. To protect their anonymity the form of a animated movie has been chosen. Link: htt ps://bit.ly/3n8cdS6

de Volkskrant data journalism: Diffi cult social climbing

The lead-in informs, “New research has evidenced that the place of birth in the Netherlands may be crucial for one‘s future income level. See for yourself the unequal distribution of the chances among children and their outlook on life in their places of birth.” The newspaper got hold of giant data record concerning the incomes of more than one million citizens of the Netherlands between 32 and 38. It contained their places of birth/upbringing, their gender, their parents‘ income and a possible migration background. The story makes use of animated infographics. Link: htt ps://bit.ly/3eHNyRF

de Volkskrant infographics online: floods made by climate change

The newspaper drew up detailed fl ood maps of coastal towns. They are based on improved height data revealing an even greater global climate threat through the rise of the sea level. Floods on the coasts will be more devastating than hitherto estimated. Link: htt ps://bit.ly/2IhDYZp