To protect the anonymity of all those involved in the article, EM has decided not to respond to the conclusion substantively. The following is a summary of the Netherlands Press Council’s conclusion.
“In the article ‘I run into the student who assaulted me all the time’, F. Sukmana and Erasmus Magazine (hereinafter collectively referred to as ‘EM’) wrote about transgressive behaviour among students. The publication mixed the personal story of the interviewee with a factual account. In doing so, the facts were not verified adequately, while creating the impression that they were. Moreover, the complainant, as the alleged perpetrator, could be identified from the story by those closest to him at least and there was also the risk that he could be identified by a relatively large circle within Erasmus University. Because of this combination of circumstances, the way in which EM published the interviewee’s story did not strike a proper balance between the interest served by publication and the interests that might be harmed by it.
Further to this, it is also unacceptable that EM did not seek to address the complainant’s concerns in any way following its conversation with him and the submission of his complaint. The complaint is therefore justified.” (translation by editor)
Conclusions drawn by the Netherlands Press Council do not have any formal consequences in the form of sanctions or fines to be imposed. However, the Council does recommend the medium to publish the conclusion, which Erasmus Magazine is hereby doing. The full text of the conclusion can be found here (in Dutch only).
