Meldpunt Mores needs a new organizational structure and more professionalisation. This is what government commissioner for sexually transgressive behavior and sexual violence writes Mariëtte Hamer. State Secretary Uslu for Culture and Media had asked for her advice on the future of the hotline for undesirable behavior in the cultural and creative sector.
Mores has been in the news a lot in recent months. After the announcement in November last year that the NPO was going to investigate cross-border behavior in public broadcasting, the number of reports increased. This also happened earlier with revelations of BNNVARA program BOOS about The Voice of Holland and after de Volkskrant wrote about a culture of fear at De Wereld Draait Door.
At the beginning of this year, Mores chairman Janke Dekker was discredited after an article in de Volkskrant about abuses at NOS Sport. The article featured Dekker and her husband, sports presenter Tom Egbers. De Volkskrant wrote in the article that “several people at NOS Sport” did not report abuses to the hotline, because they had no confidence in an independent handling of their complaints.
Dekker then resigned as chairman of the hotline. The entire board subsequently also decided to resign, because Mores himself “has become the subject of discussion and as a result the image of the hotline is also affected”.
Hamer is now calling for a new board with people who do not come from the culture or media sector, but who are experts in the field of governance and organization and transgressive behaviour. Until now, Mores has been managed by people who themselves worked in those sectors.
According to Hamer, Mores should also communicate more clearly that the board of the reporting center does not handle the reports itself. This is done by independent, expert confidential advisers.
According to Hamer, there should also be more supervision of those confidential advisers. In addition, Hamer advocates the establishment of a Supervisory Board and an Advisory Board. The latter could share experiences and knowledge from the affiliated parties from the sectors.
New logo and different name
Hamer also advises the reporting center to choose a different logo, because the current logo resembles the NOS logo. According to the government commissioner, a different logo prevents the appearance of a conflict of interest. Furthermore, Mores should think about a different name, because the current name has become contaminated by the recent negative coverage.
Hamer emphasizes that there was some division among the people she spoke to for her research, especially about changing the name, because the reporting center has built up name recognition as ‘Mores’.
- Board of reporting center for undesirable behavior Mores resigns
- Janke Dekker will step down immediately as chairman of the Mores hotline
- Volkskrant describes abuses at NOS Sport, also called presenters
