Inge Janse is an experienced investigative journalist. In 2011, he co-founded the online media platform Vers Beton that focuses on the cultural, political and urban developments in Rotterdam. He has written articles for NRC, Trouw and AD and creates podcasts and radio shows. In the past years, Inge produced multiple BOLDCasts that focus on topics of urban development and the ethical issues they present. In this interview, you read about Inge’s view on what it means to be a journalist, what interests him in his profession and his future projects for The Centre for BOLD Cities.
What inspired you to become a journalist?
I am a completely lost journalist. I was always a journalist. I just did not know that was what I wanted to be in terms of a profession. During my teenage years in Nieuw Lekkerland, I worked for the local news radio station and created websites about music. I started Vers Beton. I considered these projects hobbies. Along the way, I started to realise, this could be my profession. I became a freelance journalist and wrote for various newspapers like NRC, Trouw and Vrij Nederland. But it all started with a desire to understand how the world around me works. Plus, the fact that I like to create, whether this concerns articles, websites or podcasts, makes me a good candidate to be a journalist.
What characterises you as a journalist?
What drives me as a journalist is to gather as many perspectives as possible about one single topic and to explain these perspectives in an accessible manner. Despite its multiplicity. I am keen on investigating ‘wicked problems’ and topics you do not automatically read about in regular media. Take the port of Rotterdam, for example. There is a lot of talk about making the port more sustainable, but in reality, not much is happening. So that is something I am very interested in. Additionally, I am fascinated by digitalisation. I incorporated it from the start in my journalistic activities. The websites that I used to build are an example of this. But also as a subject of investigation.
Why did you start Vers Beton?
The goal with Vers Beton was to counter the anti-intellectual character of the city of Rotterdam. The city is characterised by a focal point on hard labour and the ‘average working man’. There was a lack of journalism focusing on broader political and cultural tendencies in the urban development of Rotterdam. Eeva Liukku took the initiative to develop a local medium with this focus. She knew I spent my free time with journalistic activities, and asked me to join this initiative. With a group of eight people, we started brainstorming, and this eventually led to Vers Beton.
How did you end up joining the Centre for BOLD Cities?
Since 2010, I have researched and written about open data. At a certain point, governments started to give open access to data. I was very critical about this process. Giving people access to data does not automatically lead to successful citizens’ engagement with these tools. I was quite excited when I found out about The Centre for BOLD Cities because suddenly, more people approach these digital developments with the same critical perspective.
I was asked to produce a podcast for the centre. The centre carries an abundance of academic expertise. As a journalist, I can translate this knowledge into information that is accessible and useful for everyone. For example, with the podcast, I brought two parties together. Someone with academic knowledge and an expert in the field. Together, we bridged the gap between academics and reality. How does digitalisation work in the outside world? What promises are not kept? And how can this be redeemed? This creates a very comfortable setting for a listener to receive different perspectives on a multifaceted topic.
What drives me as a journalist is to gather as many perspectives as possible about one single topic and to explain these perspectives in an accessible manner. Despite its multiplicity.
How do you see the position of the Centre for BOLD Cities in the current political and technological landscape?
There is increasing awareness about the side effects of the digitalisation of cities and public spaces. For The Centre for BOLD Cities, this creates an environment in which it is easier to spread our message. However, it is still difficult for organisations, governments and other stakeholders to transform this awareness into tangible improvements. I believe The Centre for BOLD Cities plays a vital role in this process. To help citizens and politicians comprehend issues that they find conceptually difficult. To help them understand the dangers of digitalisation, or at least to encourage them to approach the developments with a critical lens and to provide tools that allow them to do something about it in daily life.
What projects are you involved in right now?
I am currently producing a new podcast series, which I am very excited about. I am talking to various parties about their involvement with digitalisation and why there is so little attention for it. This ranges from citizens worried about 5G to legal experts who explain why laws are designed the way that they are. The goal is to show the world that digitalisation is not some abstract concept but that it involves real people with real everyday problems.
I am also working on a research project that aims to encourage citizens to register as many cameras as possible in the public domain. I want citizens to register these cameras because this immediately creates awareness among the public. But also hope this increases the impact of the project to such an extent that it cannot be avoided by the government.
What podcast or book would you recommend to someone interested in gaining knowledge on digitalisation and datafication?
This is a difficult question because it is a topic that lacks attention from the media. But the attention that does exist is often very niche, which makes it hard to get into if you do not have extensive knowledge to begin with. Perhaps for our Dutch readers, the podcast ‘Ik weet je wachtwoord’ (I know your password) by Daniel Verlaan is a good start for anyone who is interested in the topic but does not know where to start. But my overall advice for anything that you read about digitalisation is took ask ‘who is benefiting from this? And who is possibly being exploited?’