The interviewed journalists reported partaking in “regular” discussions and debates amongst themselves in the newsroom regarding differing opinions and viewpoints on certain matters. The necessity of having a diverse newsroom in terms of political orientation as well as gender and ethnic background was clear to all interviewees, although they all readily admitted that their newsrooms tended to be more homogenous on more parameters than they would like to see.
No specific rules or guidelines were applied in presenting opinions of journalists within the same newsroom. Some interviewees said that it was often general knowledge who was more left or right leaning across the political spectrum, and that this indeed could partly define the tone and frame in a given article. However, they also imagined and claimed that reporting was made more diverse by the shifting around of journalists writing on specific topics per beat. In a similar vein, no official rules stipulated that all opinions should receive their appropriate weight in reporting. But, as with so many aspects of journalism, it is arguably the single most important of the many tacitly agreed mutual understandings which are so important to the field, without explicitly being enshrined anywhere.
All legacy media houses possess some ideological roots or another, but most have abandoned these over time. Some newspapers still boast of a “progressive” or “free market” ideology, but instrumentally overt diversity in viewpoints is most notable at the fringe, online-only news media. There was a cordon médiathique – a French term also used in Flanders – against the far-right political party, in which it was systematically barred equal access to present its viewpoints. However, after the 2019 general election, since this party became the second largest in Flanders, it has been treated more like the others. Some left-wing online-only media, however, continue to refuse working with or reporting on the party. Alternatively, the far-left party, which also gained ground in the recent elections, while continuing to be only the sixth largest party in Flanders as of the 2019 election results, was never held back by the aforementioned cordon. However, it was often excluded from key political debates due to its negligible size.
