Vers Beton

Vers Beton is an online media outlet founded in 2011. The media organisation monitors power relations in the city and tells inconvenient truths when necessary; its work is based on facts. Today, the organisation says, it is no longer sufficient to pursue "debate for the sake of a debate".

Vers Beton informs Rotterdam citizens about the city's developments through facts, analyses, and background stories. It "exposes power structures and structural social problems through independent journalism."

In the early 2010s, news media struggled to find business models. The Dutch national newspaper NRC moved its offices from Rotterdam to Amsterdam, and the city remained with "no in-depth journalism to speak of in the city", according to Vers Beton's publisher, Hilde Westerink.

A group of citizens in their 20s believed that Rotterdam, as a city, is a community that should be considered and analysed. Therefore, they started a critical journalism publication for the people in their city.

Over a decade later, Vers Beton's founding manifesto still stands: Rotterdam is a city to contemplate and love beyond the usual clichés and tropes.

In 2018, Vers Beton reinvented itself: the digital platform now has a paid membership model. According to the organisation, Vers Beton is financially autonomous and "not afraid of power".

Last updated: January 2023