{ Colophon

Brains

Thousands of bits and bytes are sweating behind the scenes daily to keep this site readable. Its big brain is the incomparable content management system WordPress. The theme is Literatum, tailor-made and complemented with a couple of very handy WP-plugins. The articles are usually written with MarsEdit on a 14″ MacBook Pro (being an early innovator, I’ve been a user of Apple’s fancy typewriters since 1984). I generally write in the heart of Amsterdam, but I’m very often in Brussels and Paris as well. Wherever I go, I prefer to travel by train. Since the very restrictive and counterproductive new French surveillance law (read here about it), I have moved all my websites to Iceland. My data is now being hosted at the aptly named 1984, in the country with the fewest barriers to Internet freedom (according to Freedom House).

Photos

Most of this website’s photos have been taken with a digital Nikon Z6 and sometimes with a fifteen-year-old Nikon F5. I edit photos using Adobe Lightroom CC. I sometimes use images with a Creative Commons licence found on Foter or Unsplash. Gabriela Hengeveld usually makes photos for the travel reports.

Looks

The font of the headings is Anivers, designed by Jos Buivenga and delivered to your screen by Typekit. The smart suits and shirts I wear on and off-screen are bespoke by New Tailor (Amsterdam & Utrecht). Now and then I’m wearing shirts by Charvet in Paris. I usually get my accessories like ties and cufflinks at Le Bon Marché, the only department store in Paris where tourists are not ruining your shopping experience.

This site attracts around 10.000 page views and 2,500 unique monthly visitors (average Q1, 2024). That’s not too bad, but it’s far from enough to finance a pair of handmade shoes. I, therefore, continue to blog for Berlutis.

Radio

For radio reports, podcasts and broadcasting, I have a studio equipped with the Zoom H5 smart card recorder and a Røde Podcaster Pro with Sennheiser mics. I use Luci Live or ReportIt software on iPad and iPhone for live reports in studio quality. The studio also has a vocal booth for voiceovers with two DBX286S compressors, a Focusrite Scarlett and cardioid or Shure SM7B microphones.

Television

Recordings in all standard formats (4K/Ultra HD, HD and SD), with several UHD cameras. Digital editing and colour correction in Final Cut Pro and DaVinci Resolve on the Mac platform (OS &iOS). Transmission via (EBU) satellite feed points in Europa, on-location via old-school SNGs or via FTP via fibre optic or 5G. Live video connections in HD broadcast quality (12Mb/s) over IP via wifi/4G/5G, or on location with LiveU, MimoLive or Dejero.

Journalistic Disclaimer

I’m an independent journalist who accepts assignments but never takes orders. I will always protect the identity of my sources. My income comes solely from the media outlets I work for.

On this website, you’ll find news, background articles, and occasional opinions. While some believe journalists should avoid expressing personal views to maintain “objectivity,” I argue that true objectivity in journalism is a myth. Every article begins with subjective choices. However, I strive for careful and transparent journalism.

In the spirit of transparency, I occasionally publish op-eds or share my views. I’m also exploring ways to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into my work, despite the challenges this presents. As AI tools evolve, I’m committed to using them ethically and responsibly, always maintaining human oversight and journalistic integrity.

My use of AI may include:

• Research assistance and data analysis
• Fact-checking and verification
• Content suggestions and editing
• Translation for international stories

Rest assured, all AI-assisted content will be clearly labeled, and critical thinking, human judgment, and ethical considerations will always guide my work.

This disclaimer informs you about my approach. How you interpret this information or my media productions is up to you. I welcome comments, suggestions, or questions about my work, including my use of AI. Please use the contact form to provide your input.

In 2023, I accepted paid assignments from Arte*, BBC Radio*, BFMTV, BNR Nieuwsradio, CGTN Europe*, Euronews*, France 24*, Haagsch College, The i, Les Echos, NPO Radio en Televisie*, RTL Nederland and TF1. Between 2017 and 2023, I have taught at the IRIS Institute in Paris.

I am a member of Europresse, NVJ and Transparency International. I am also an unpaid member of the jury of the European Book Prize and co-founder of the AJT (Association of Journalists for Access to Administrative Documents).

*The government partly finances these media in their respective countries. The coverage of European Affairs on BNR received a contribution from the European Parliament without any content in return. To my knowledge, the other organisations do not receive any government subsidies.

Copyright

All articles are © Stefan de Vries. The contents of this site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License.

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