Amsterdam and Zeeland

Leupen was previously editor-in-chief of Het Parool, the newspaper where she started out as an intern in 1999. She has lived in Amsterdam for 35 years but is originally from Goes. “My mother still lives in the house where I grew up. As well as feeling like an Amsterdammer, I still very much feel from Zeeland.” But anyone wanting to pursue higher education had to leave Zeeland. And so Leupen arrived in Amsterdam at the age of 18. “I’d only been there once before that.”

Now, in 2026, Leupen is responsible for the business side of the Dutch news brands. “I see myself as the bridge between the titles and the business units needed to help those titles flourish and support their digitalisation.” There is a clear dividing line between her work and that of the editors-in-chief, who independently oversee the journalistic content. Her day? “It consists of talking, connecting and providing direction.” What drives her? “I want to do justice to just how important and difficult it is to produce quality journalism.”

That quality journalism also needs to reach as many people as possible digitally. And the reality is that many young people don’t encounter it at home or at school. That is why Leupen (53) is so pleased with colleagues such as Jonas Lips (27). “He translates the journalism of HLN.be into really strong videos for TikTok – content that is both substantively strong and attractive to an audience used to scrolling after ten seconds.”

What language do they speak?

Or take Janna Nieuwenhuijzen, 29, who graduated in changing media use. Trouw has launched a pilot with her. Through her Team Future Audiences, she is exploring how Trouw can best reach new target groups – especially those aged 16 to 25 – with journalism, and particularly via video. How does that group want to be addressed? What language do they use themselves?

Imagine this, Leupen continues: you see a video on social media about climate change that appeals to you. And you see Trouw as the sender. You notice that a few times. Then you take out the free student subscription introduced by DPG Media last year. Then you end up in the Trouw app and then… “Yes, they also need to find things there in a way that appeals to them and makes them want to come back. All the newsrooms are now thinking about how to reach this group. They want to familiarise new generations with their brands and with what journalism actually is.”

Steel slag viewed 3 million times

In any case, newsrooms are speaking to their audiences more and more. NU.nl, for example, is already quite advanced in this respect. “Last year, that newsroom called on readers for help in mapping where steel slag is located in the Netherlands. The result was a widely read investigative article and a video in which the reporter talks about his investigation. That video has been viewed more than 3 million times on TikTok. And it’s about steel slag!”

At ADR too, you increasingly see videos and articles in which journalists explain how they went about their work. “It brings journalism closer and creates stronger engagement with, and trust in, the titles and the people who work there.” In this age of disinformation, that’s more important than ever.

Of course, there is already fierce competition for space on smartphone screens. “But innovation always finds a place. That’s true for podcasts and for new forms of video too. It’s our task to make sure that what the newsrooms create reaches readers, listeners and viewers as effectively as possible.”

Old and new forms

Does all that attention to new forms of storytelling come at the expense of existing loyal users? “It is not either-or, but both-and. Old and new forms exist alongside each other and strengthen one another. And young people’s habits sometimes spread to other generations too. What do you think all those people in their fifties are doing on Instagram?”

Still, it is also true that young people are increasingly looking offline. The number of cafés where people meet to genuinely connect with each other is growing. As editor-in-chief, Leupen herself also saw how the Parool Crime Podcast attracted hundreds of young people to the theatre. “People were suddenly paying to watch journalists.” So yes, going to further education institutions, going into theatres, meeting your audience there – that matters too.

“The future is change,” says Leupen. Take artificial intelligence, for example – a development that threatens journalism but at the same time supports journalistic work. “I think we should also look at it with optimism: AI can give newsrooms more space for the things that really matter.” Naturally, she sees the risks. “But journalists can do something AI cannot: be human.”

One thing will not change, Leupen says: “Quality journalism remains the foundation. Everything starts there.” Everything else is in motion. That unquestionably places great demands on newsrooms, but it can also be enjoyable, she says. It creates opportunities for journalism. And older colleagues can learn from younger colleagues, and vice versa. “Change is above all a matter of mindset.”