The guidelines of the Netherlands Press Council list general rules to further objectivity in journalism. The Press Council resorts to these guidelines when dealing with complaints. The Genootschap van Hoofdredacteuren then writes the second. The latter is a more specific manual than the general guidelines. It lists a number of concepts which constitute the basis of an open and democratic society. The members of the Association are committed to heeding these rules.
Some media, such as De Telegraaf and Het Parool, do not recognise the authority of the Council. However, since 2013, Elsevier Weekblad and RTL have been affiliated again with the Council after a 13-year hiatus. There is no published list of Council members. In the annual report (RvDj, 2019), the following media organisations were mentioned as part of the foundation and financially contributing to the continuation of the Council: RTL, Talpa TV, NPO (national public broadcaster), RPO (regional public broadcaster), and NLPO (local public broadcaster).
Media researcher Huub Evers indicated that in the last one or two decades, news media organisations have developed their own codes. However, in practice, these are only referred to when problems arise. NPO ombudsperson Margo Smit also shared this experience. She expressed her regrets over the lack of discussions and open debate about the internal codes as well as the national codes.
