Competing for Visibility and Increased Public Distrust: The Renegotiation of Journalistic Authority under Platform Dependency and Political Polarisation in the Dutch Context

Platform dependency and political polarisation are reshaping the working practices, legitimacy and authority of traditional media organisations, while creating space for new actors competing for audience attention. This study explores how journalistic authority is negotiated within Dutch news practices in the digital age. Seven semi-structured interviews were conducted with journalists and editors-in-chief from national organisations across publicly funded, commercial, and hybrid models. This was complemented by a discourse analysis of Instagram posts and associated audience interaction from high-reach Dutch news accounts, published between January 1 and March 31, 2026. Findings show that platform logics push organisations toward shorter, personalised content, rebuilding trust with like-minded audiences, while exposing publicly funded organisations to intensified hostility and visibility problems, particularly around topics such as far-right politics and migration. This study contributes to platformisation and polarisation research by reframing journalistic authority as continuously negotiated, offering insights for policymakers and media organisations navigating journalism's safety and independence in a contested digital environment.