What #UseTheNews Nederland does

#UseTheNews Nederland is a Dutch non-profit foundation (Stichting) established in 2022 by the Oomen family, who are shareholders of the national press agency ANP (Algemeen Nederlands Persbureau). Headquartered at WTC The Hague, the foundation operates as a public benefit organization (ANBI-registered) with no profit motive, employing 2-4 staff and 8 active regular volunteers. Its mission is to advance news literacy among Dutch youth aged 12-25 and to bridge the gap between traditional news media and younger audiences. It is the Dutch node of the international UseTheNews initiative, originally created by German press agency dpa in 2020 and now active in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and the Netherlands.

The foundation's product portfolio centers on three interconnected program lines. NewZroom is an open online platform where youth aged 12-25 publish journalism content. The NewsZees program recruits and supports a youth team of content creators producing video, writing, podcasts, photography, and cartoons. For newsrooms and communication professionals, WhatZ Next provides a content agenda targeting young audiences with editorial suggestions. For schools, the foundation delivers NieuwsKijker (daily news photo discussions for primary education, developed with ANP), ImageZ (photojournalism education with classroom photojournalist visits), LessonUp digital lessons on framing and pluralism (with Beeld & Geluid Onderwijs), and a searchable Database of news literacy educational materials. NewsCamps are live events co-organized with media partners.

The underlying technology is modest: a WordPress website with Elementor page builder, integrated social media platforms (Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok), Vimeo video hosting, and standard integrations (Google reCAPTCHA, Google Fonts). NewZroom operates as a separate platform at newzroom.eu. The business model is non-commercial: programs are delivered free to schools and youth, funded by charitable donations (anchored by the founding family / ANP shareholder relationship), public subsidies (including EU and European Journalism Centre grants projected to reach €220K in 2025), and an emerging service-revenue line (projected €50K in 2025). Key strategic partners include ANP, dpa, European Journalism Centre, Beeld & Geluid Onderwijs, Stampmedia (Belgian), Youngworks, and a consortium of Dutch universities of applied sciences (Windesheim, NHL Stenden, Fontys) and vocational colleges (Rijn IJssel, KW1C). In June 2023 the foundation was recognized as an important initiative by the Commissariaat voor de Media, the Dutch media regulator.

Name

#UseTheNews Nederland

Legal name

Stichting #UseTheNews Nederland

Website

https://usethenews.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

#UseTheNews Nederland is a Dutch ANBI-registered foundation, established in 2022 by the ANP shareholder family, that operates news literacy programs for Dutch youth aged 12-25, connecting them with traditional news media through the NewZroom platform, NewsZees youth creator program, WhatZ Next newsroom content agenda, and classroom educational modules (NieuwsKijker, ImageZ, LessonUp).

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

News Literacy Education

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Literacy Foundations (Phonics, Reading Fluency, Comprehension) Platforms (EDAFAOAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Children’s News & Current Affairs Programming (MPABAKAK), Accessibility, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) & Inclusive Content Services (EDAGAKAJ)

Keywords

• News literacy education
• Youth journalism programs
• Media partnerships
• Educational content platform
• Nonprofit foundation

Headquarters

HQ city

Den Haag, Zuid-Holland

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: In 2023 expected income from donations of €250,000, increasing to €260,000 in 2024, then decreasing to €40,000 in 2025. The foundation is ANBI-registered (public benefit organization) and relies on charitable donations.
2. Service Revenue and Subsidies: Expected revenue from services of €50,000 in 2025, representing a new revenue stream as the organization matures. Subsidies expected at €30,000 in 2023, rising to €220,000 in 2025.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

#UseTheNews Nederland is a non-profit foundation that delivers news literacy education and youth journalism programs connecting young people (ages 12-25), educators, and traditional news media. Its core offerings include the NewZroom open youth journalism platform, the WhatZ Next content agenda for newsrooms, the NewsZees youth content creator team, Newscamps live events, and educational modules (NieuwsKijker daily news photo discussions, ImageZ photojournalism program, LessonUp digital lessons, and a searchable news literacy database). All programs and materials are provided free of charge to schools and youth participants.

Product overview

#UseTheNews Nederland is a foundation focused on youth news literacy, operating as a platform with multiple interconnected programs and educational products. The core portfolio consists of NewZroom (an online platform for youth journalism content), the WhatZ Next content agenda for newsrooms, the NewsZees youth creator program, and Newscamps live events. Supporting these are educational products including NieuwsKijker (daily news photo discussions for primary schools), ImageZ (photojournalism education with classroom visits), LessonUp digital lessons on framing and pluriformity, and a Database of educational materials on news literacy. All offerings are designed to strengthen the connection between young people, news media, and reliable journalism.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NewsZees: Youth team of content creators aged roughly 12-25 who produce journalism and help shape the future of news media
• NewZroom
• WhatZ Next
• NewsCamps
• Kennislab Jongeren en Nieuws
• NieuwsKijker
• ImageZ
• LessonUp
• Database Nieuwswijsheid en Journalistiek

Products and services

• NewZroom An online open podium for youth journalism where socially engaged young people aged 12-25 can share their perspective on the world broadly — to each other, to news media, to policymakers, and to all others concerned with the future of journalism.
• WhatZ Next A content agenda for newsrooms and communication professionals targeting young audiences. Contains topics that relate to youth, appeal to youth, or that youth should know, along with editorial suggestions and extra context.
• NewsZees A youth team of content creators (ages 12-25) who help shape the news media of the future. NewsZees fight misinformation and learn to navigate the digital world, working as writers, video makers, podcast makers, photographers, and cartoonists.
• Newscamps Live events on location where young people can learn about reliable news and journalism in an engaging and interactive way, featuring meet & greets with newsmakers, workshops, discussions, and co-creation sessions.
• Kennislab Jongeren en Nieuws (Knowledge Bank Youth and News) A knowledge bank that bundles current (scientific) knowledge on the broad theme of youth and news, providing access to research and studies in one centralized location.
• NieuwsKijker A daily professional news photo discussion tool for primary school upper grades, created in collaboration with ANP and its international partners. The goal is to have a short daily news discussion as a fixed routine to stimulate critical viewing and visual literacy.
• ImageZ A journalism education package where students learn about photojournalism through fun assignments. The focus is on images as the primary form through which young people encounter news. A photojournalist visits the classroom as the central element.
• Database Nieuwswijsheid en Journalistiek A searchable and organized selection of educational offerings on news literacy and journalism topics, where teachers can also find supporting materials from news organizations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Rijn IJssel MBO became first educational institution publishing on NewZroom national youth journalism platform
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ANP (Algemeen Nederlands Persbureau)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerANP is the national press agency and a facilitating partner for UseTheNews activities. The organization's founder is the ANP shareholder. The Commercieel Directeur (Commercial Director) of ANP sits on the board of UseTheNews. ANP provides daily news photos for the NieuwsKijker program and supports the WhatZ Next youth content agenda.
• dpa (Deutsche Presse-Agentur)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman press agency dpa originally created the UseTheNews initiative in 2020. The international network now includes Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and the Netherlands, with more European countries planned to follow.
• Beeld & Geluid OnderwijscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Beeld & Geluid Onderwijs to create free digital lessons on framing and pluralism for the LessonUp platform, targeting vmbo and havo students.
• European Journalism CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSigned collaboration agreement with European Journalism Centre in September 2023 for knowledge sharing and research cooperation.
• StampmediacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner
• Windesheim University of Applied SciencescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner
• Rijn IJssel MBOminorStrategic or Co-development Partner
• VPRO MedialabminorStrategic or Co-development Partner
• YoungworkscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Stiftung neue verantwortung (SNV): German think tank working on digital policy and media/information literacy; comparable as the German-origin institutional peer within the dpa-backed #UseTheNews family, working at the intersection of journalism, education, and democratic resilience.
• Common Sense Education: Operates wide-scale digital and media literacy programs for K-12 students and educators in the US, including curricula on news and information literacy; comparable as a scaled, school-distribution-led news/digital literacy non-profit targeting similar teacher and student personas.
• Mediawijzer.net: National Dutch network focused on media literacy for youth and educators, with educational programs, teacher training, and a coordinating role across media-literacy initiatives in the Netherlands; directly comparable in mission, audience (educators and youth), and educational content delivery model.
• The News Literacy Project: US-based non-profit that provides news-literacy curricula and programs for students and educators, including the Checkology platform used in middle and high schools; closest direct international analog to #UseTheNews in terms of mission, school channel, and curriculum-led approach.
• PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs: US program that places middle and high school students as journalists producing original news content with mentorship from professional journalists; directly analogous to NewZroom and NewsZees in combining youth journalism production with classroom and broadcast distribution.

Broad incumbents

• dpa Deutsche Presse-Agentur: German national press agency and parent creator of the original #UseTheNews initiative in 2020; comparable as the incumbent media organization providing both content infrastructure and the international franchise template for national #UseTheNews entities.
• ANP (Algemeen Nederlands Persbureau): Dutch national press agency and #UseTheNews' anchor partner and founding sponsor, providing news content (e.g., NieuwsKijker daily photo) and board representation; comparable as the broader incumbent media institution whose content infrastructure #UseTheNews wraps educational experiences around.
• NOS Hilversum (Nederlandse Omroep Stichting): Dutch public broadcaster producing news and educational/media-literacy content for broad audiences including youth; comparable as the broad incumbent news and education provider whose editorial capabilities and audience scale #UseTheNews complements and channels content through.

Others

• European Journalism Centre (EJC): European non-profit supporting journalism innovation and news literacy through programs, grants, and research; comparable as the upstream grant-maker and ecosystem partner collaborating with #UseTheNews on knowledge sharing and EU funding initiatives.
• Beeld en Geluid Onderwijs: Dutch media museum/knowledge institute and education partner, co-creating LessonUp lessons on framing and pluralism with #UseTheNews; comparable as a media-literacy adjacent ecosystem institution providing teacher-facing educational materials.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCZ2KuBenjlW1DYV-hV3P_6w
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/usethenews-nederland
• Instagraminstagram.com/usethenews_nederland/?igshid=ZDdkNTZiNTM%3D

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about #UseTheNews Nederland