2025 Candidate for SC Member: Renske Heddema
Who I am
My name is Renske Heddema. I’ve been a journalist reporting from Switzerland for Dutch and Belgian media since 1996. Working as a freelance correspondent far from the newsroom, always available to a wide range of publishers and broadcasters, I felt isolated. Joining NVJ was like finding an anchor. I served on the NVJ board from 2016 and was its president from 2020 to 2023.
Before moving abroad, I worked as a journalist in the Netherlands, producing weekly radio programs on arts and literature and writing for various newspapers and magazines. I also served as a media policy advisor to the government, leading an umbrella organization that represented the EU MEDIA program in the Netherlands—experience that laid a solid foundation for my work within the EFJ.
Today, I co-chair the Freelance Expert Group of the EFJ alongside my esteemed colleague Oddrun Midtbø, with the invaluable support of Rebecca Bonello Ghio.
Why I am standing
Freelance journalists face increasing vulnerability, despite being a vital part of the journalistic workforce. Media mergers have eroded our rates and bargaining power. The dominance of digital platforms—accelerated by the rise of AI—has only worsened this trend. On top of that, SLAPPs pose serious threats to individual freelancers.
At the same time, press freedom is under growing pressure from fragile democracies emerging at an alarming speed. That’s why EFJ’s role in shaping EU legislation through consistent lobbying with MEPs and EU advisors is more critical than ever. The EU regulation on collective bargaining stands as a landmark success of these efforts.
My priorities for the EFJ
I will continue to advocate for the collective rights of freelance journalists. Their position—already fragile—is now more precarious than ever. Seeing freelancers as businesses subject to competition law is absurd. For that reason, building alliances with other unions that fight for social rights is a key part of my strategy.
With democracy under threat in Europe and beyond, defending press freedom is more urgent than ever. The Netherlands took a leading role in establishing Persveilig, a protection mechanism for journalists. I want to help create more such mechanisms across Europe. Journalists, including freelancers, must be able to scrutinize those in power—without fear, and with full support of their unions. This is where I want to fight for in the Steering Committee of EFJ.
