GeenStijl.nl
Encyclopedia
GeenStijl.nl is a Dutch
blog
founded on April 10, 2003. The logos it uses on its website are a female silhouette
using a chainsaw
and a crown
within a circle
, both in a pink
ish colour, although the crown in a circle is green with a black edge when it is embedded in online video
s. In Dutch, the term "geen stijl" is used to describe an act by a person or organisation that lacks style or manners.
GeenStijl often uses a provocative tone when referring to other internet sites and blogs. Readers are encouraged to comment on other people websites (such as the one of GroenLinks-politician
Femke Halsema
) or to sabotage online polls, skewing the results. Geenstijl is known for its hoaxes. Famously, in March 2005 GeenStijl launched a plan to unseat the second Balkenende cabinet
. GeenStijl announced on their website that they would bus people from all over the country to Rotterdam
, where one of the cabinet parties was holding a convention. These people could sign up as new party members at the convention, and vote against the party's participation in the cabinet. This hoax created a media uproar; even the respectable NOS Journaal of the public television reported the event.
The blog attracts around 75,000 visitors each day and is one of the top 10 news sites of the Netherlands. On March 17, 2006, the Telegraaf Media Group
took a 40% interest in GeenStijl. The editorial team of Dominique Weesie
and Ambroos Wiegers both owned 50% of the shares, against 30% after the takeover. The deal was claimed to be worth €2.6 million.
Dominique Weesie said that he saw a market for a tough-talking, politically incorrect blog, when he started GeenStijl in 2003, because existing blogs used language that was too vulgar for the mainstream media. One feature of the blog is the use of intentionally misspelt four-letter words to reduce their shock effect. The site has been criticized for the xenophobic and extreme nature of the comments it allows readers to post. Both the editors and the readers of GeenStijl have invented a wide range of names to refer to immigrants to the Netherlands that are generally considered to be stereotypic and derisive. They also use insulting words for right-wing people they believe to go over the mark though and in recent years inappropriate reader comments are jorissed away (as they call censoring of posts by their mods, the most well known used the nickname "Joris the Lognazi").
The blog aims to be a right-wing equivalent of the British tabloids, confirming the prejudice of its readers and thus provoking loads of comments. In combination with Weesie's network, who had been a reporter for the major Dutch newspaper "de Telegraaf
" for more than 10 years, this has proven a successful formula. Geenstijl soon followed up with web videos featuring Rutger Castricum
as star reporter.
In May 2006, internet service providers in Bonaire started boycotting GeenStijl after the blog had published secret and private documents of Bonairean public prosecutor Ernst Wesselius. GeenStijl claims it obtained the documents via the P2P
software LimeWire
, although investigators did not find this software on Wesselius's computer (but since Limewire runs on the more general Gnutella
P2P network, he may have had any other software application that connects to Gnutella as well). The ISPs stated that "this is a one time action, because the publication has infringed our sense of ethics". Access to the site from Bonaire has since been restored.
GeenStijl had started working on the television program SteenGeyl with public broadcaster BNN
in 2007. GeenStijl founder Weesie stated that they were to spend "tax payer's money." However, a dispute arose over the timeslot in which the program was to be broadcasted, and production was halted. Two years later they started a successful campaign to get their own public broadcasting organisation under the name PowNed
, which began broadcasting on Dutch public television in September 2010.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
founded on April 10, 2003. The logos it uses on its website are a female silhouette
Silhouette
A silhouette is the image of a person, an object or scene consisting of the outline and a basically featureless interior, with the silhouetted object usually being black. Although the art form has been popular since the mid-18th century, the term “silhouette” was seldom used until the early decades...
using a chainsaw
Chainsaw
A chainsaw is a portable mechanical saw, powered by electricity, compressed air, hydraulic power, or most commonly a two-stroke engine...
and a crown
Crown (headgear)
A crown is the traditional symbolic form of headgear worn by a monarch or by a deity, for whom the crown traditionally represents power, legitimacy, immortality, righteousness, victory, triumph, resurrection, honour and glory of life after death. In art, the crown may be shown being offered to...
within a circle
Circle
A circle is a simple shape of Euclidean geometry consisting of those points in a plane that are a given distance from a given point, the centre. The distance between any of the points and the centre is called the radius....
, both in a pink
Pink
Pink is a mixture of red and white. Commonly used for Valentine's Day and Easter, pink is sometimes referred to as "the color of love." The use of the word for the color known today as pink was first recorded in the late 17th century....
ish colour, although the crown in a circle is green with a black edge when it is embedded in online video
Video
Video is the technology of electronically capturing, recording, processing, storing, transmitting, and reconstructing a sequence of still images representing scenes in motion.- History :...
s. In Dutch, the term "geen stijl" is used to describe an act by a person or organisation that lacks style or manners.
GeenStijl often uses a provocative tone when referring to other internet sites and blogs. Readers are encouraged to comment on other people websites (such as the one of GroenLinks-politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
Femke Halsema
Femke Halsema
is a former Dutch politician. She was a member of the House of Representatives from 1998 till 2011. She was also the leader of the GreenLeft parliamentary party in the House of Representatives from 2002 till 2010.-Pre-political career:...
) or to sabotage online polls, skewing the results. Geenstijl is known for its hoaxes. Famously, in March 2005 GeenStijl launched a plan to unseat the second Balkenende cabinet
Second Balkenende cabinet
The second cabinet of Jan Peter Balkenende of the Netherlands formed on 27 May 2003. It consisted of three political parties: People's Party for Freedom and Democracy , Christian Democratic Appeal , and Democrats 66 , which is the smallest of the three.On 29 June 2006, D66 dropped its support for...
. GeenStijl announced on their website that they would bus people from all over the country to Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
, where one of the cabinet parties was holding a convention. These people could sign up as new party members at the convention, and vote against the party's participation in the cabinet. This hoax created a media uproar; even the respectable NOS Journaal of the public television reported the event.
The blog attracts around 75,000 visitors each day and is one of the top 10 news sites of the Netherlands. On March 17, 2006, the Telegraaf Media Group
De Telegraaf
De Telegraaf is the largest Dutch daily morning newspaper, with a daily circulation of approximately . De Telegraaf is based in Amsterdam...
took a 40% interest in GeenStijl. The editorial team of Dominique Weesie
Dominique Weesie
Dominicus Jacobus Weesie is a Dutch journalist and founder of the weblog GeenStijl and the public broadcasting association PowNed.-Biography:...
and Ambroos Wiegers both owned 50% of the shares, against 30% after the takeover. The deal was claimed to be worth €2.6 million.
Dominique Weesie said that he saw a market for a tough-talking, politically incorrect blog, when he started GeenStijl in 2003, because existing blogs used language that was too vulgar for the mainstream media. One feature of the blog is the use of intentionally misspelt four-letter words to reduce their shock effect. The site has been criticized for the xenophobic and extreme nature of the comments it allows readers to post. Both the editors and the readers of GeenStijl have invented a wide range of names to refer to immigrants to the Netherlands that are generally considered to be stereotypic and derisive. They also use insulting words for right-wing people they believe to go over the mark though and in recent years inappropriate reader comments are jorissed away (as they call censoring of posts by their mods, the most well known used the nickname "Joris the Lognazi").
The blog aims to be a right-wing equivalent of the British tabloids, confirming the prejudice of its readers and thus provoking loads of comments. In combination with Weesie's network, who had been a reporter for the major Dutch newspaper "de Telegraaf
De Telegraaf
De Telegraaf is the largest Dutch daily morning newspaper, with a daily circulation of approximately . De Telegraaf is based in Amsterdam...
" for more than 10 years, this has proven a successful formula. Geenstijl soon followed up with web videos featuring Rutger Castricum
Rutger Castricum
Rutger Castricum is a Dutch journalist and presenter, who is known as reporter for the satirical PowNews television programme by the Dutch broadcaster PowNed and previously for the shock blog Geenstijl.- External links :...
as star reporter.
In May 2006, internet service providers in Bonaire started boycotting GeenStijl after the blog had published secret and private documents of Bonairean public prosecutor Ernst Wesselius. GeenStijl claims it obtained the documents via the P2P
Peer-to-peer
Peer-to-peer computing or networking is a distributed application architecture that partitions tasks or workloads among peers. Peers are equally privileged, equipotent participants in the application...
software LimeWire
LimeWire
LimeWire is a free peer-to-peer file sharing client program that runs on Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and other operating systems supported by the Java software platform. LimeWire uses the gnutella network as well as the BitTorrent protocol. A free software version and a purchasable "enhanced"...
, although investigators did not find this software on Wesselius's computer (but since Limewire runs on the more general Gnutella
Gnutella
Gnutella is a large peer-to-peer network which, at the time of its creation, was the first decentralized peer-to-peer network of its kind, leading to other, later networks adopting the model...
P2P network, he may have had any other software application that connects to Gnutella as well). The ISPs stated that "this is a one time action, because the publication has infringed our sense of ethics". Access to the site from Bonaire has since been restored.
GeenStijl had started working on the television program SteenGeyl with public broadcaster BNN
BNN (television)
BNN or Bart's Neverending Network is a Dutch public broadcasting association supported by the Netherlands Public Broadcasting. BNN was founded in 1997 by Bart de Graaff, Gerard Timmer & Frank Timmer, and targets teenage and young adult audiences...
in 2007. GeenStijl founder Weesie stated that they were to spend "tax payer's money." However, a dispute arose over the timeslot in which the program was to be broadcasted, and production was halted. Two years later they started a successful campaign to get their own public broadcasting organisation under the name PowNed
PowNed
PowNed is a Dutch broadcaster, which broadcasts radio and television programmes on the Netherlands Public Broadcasting system. They air a daily satirical news show during the workweek called PowNews on Nederland 3, which often exposes scandals, especially in politics.The broadcaster is affiliated...
, which began broadcasting on Dutch public television in September 2010.