'Journalism is ultimately about trust.' An interview with crime reporter Paul Vugts

In recent years, crime journalism in the Netherlands has undergone a profound transformation. What was once regarded as a demanding, yet relatively safe branch of journalism has become a profession increasingly marked by intimidation, security measures and, in the most extreme cases, lethal violence. The murders of crime reporter Martin Kok, lawyer Derk Wiersum, investigative journalist Peter R. de Vries and the brother of the Marengo-process key-witness have fundamentally altered the landscape in which Dutch crime reporters operate. Reporting on organized crime is no longer solely about uncovering criminal networks. It also means navigating ethical dilemmas, gathering a network, safeguarding sources and, at times, protecting one's own life. 

Few journalists have witnessed and experienced this transformation as directly as Paul Vugts, crime reporter at Het Parool (A Dutch Newspaper). During our conversation, Vugts reflected on nearly three decades of investigative crime reporting, discussing not only relevant cases and crime journalism, but also the professional values that continue to guide his work. Throughout the interview, one message emerged repeatedly: crime journalism is ultimately built on trust. Trust between journalist and source, between colleagues and, perhaps most importantly, between journalists and the public they serve.

Becoming a crime reporter

Listening to Vugts describe his career, one quickly realizes that becoming one of the Netherlands' best-known crime reporters was never part of a grand career plan. After trying several different studies and jobs, he discovered journalism almost by accident. Looking back, he explains that he was less interested in writing than in understanding how the world worked: “I wanted to investigate things. I like solving puzzles, immersing myself in a subject, and then explaining clearly how things fit together.” After trying out several interests, Vugts started the study journalism and quickly found a second internship at Het Parool in 1997, which changed everything. 

Rather than moving between newspapers, Vugts has remained with the Amsterdam newspaper ever since. The reason, he explains, is surprisingly simple: the freedom to pursue stories that matter. While Het Parool naturally focuses on Amsterdam, the city's criminal networks are inherently international, connecting the Dutch capital to places such as Dubai, Morocco and beyond. Combined with newer forms of storytelling, including podcasts and theatre performances, this freedom has allowed him to continuously reinvent the way investigative journalism reaches its audience. Interestingly, Vugts also nuances the popular image of crime reporters spending their days chasing shootings and spectacular court cases. His own entry into crime reporting happened gradually, working alongside veteran journalist Bart Middelburg before eventually specializing in organized crime. What kept him interested was not simply reporting individual crimes but understanding the wider systems behind them.

Looking beyond the crime itself

Throughout the interview, Vugts repeatedly returned to one point: crime reporting is not primarily about criminals. Instead, it is about understanding the environments in which crime develops. Rather than focusing exclusively on court proceedings or police investigations, he describes his work as examining broader societal questions: Why are young people recruited into organized crime? Why do some youth care facilities fail to protect vulnerable teenagers? How do local governments respond? What role do international criminal networks play?

“We try to keep our perspective broad,” he explains, describing how investigations often move between courtrooms, neighborhoods, public institutions and the families whose lives have been affected by organized crime. This broader perspective also shapes how stories originate. Contrary to popular assumptions, investigative projects rarely begin with a dramatic event. Instead, they emerge from patterns. A particular problem appears repeatedly in different cases until it gradually becomes impossible to ignore. One example explained by Vugts, are supported housing projects for vulnerable young people. After repeatedly encountering suspects who had lived in such facilities, Vugts and his colleagues began investigating whether these supposedly protective environments were themselves becoming places where criminal recruitment occurred. Their reporting eventually contributed to greater political attention and municipal action. As Vugts explains: “Sometimes you encounter something three times and suddenly realize: this isn't an incident anymore, it’s a phenomenon.”

Journalism begins with listening

If there is one element that runs through the entire interview, it is the importance of human connections. For Vugts, journalism depends far less on fast publicity, than on earning people's trust over many years. His network includes police officers, prosecutors, defense lawyers, criminologists, neighborhood residents, victims' relatives, mothers of young offenders and, where possible, criminals themselves. It is important to stay independent and listen to multiple sides of one story. Building such relationships requires something surprisingly simple: taking people seriously. “If you approach the mother of a boy who planted a bomb with a morally superior attitude,” he notes, “you'll never have a proper conversation.” 

Empathy, however, should not be mistaken for sympathy. Vugts is careful to distinguish understanding from excusing. The goal is not to justify criminal behavior, but to understand the circumstances in which decisions are made. Only then can journalism move beyond stereotypes and simplistic narratives. Perhaps even more striking is his emphasis on maintaining relationships long after publication. Some relatives of victims or criminals initially resent media attention but later become willing to speak. Others remain opposed, yet still appreciate being informed before sensitive stories appear. For Vugts, responsible journalism does not end when an article is published. Aftercare and follow-ups are just as important.

Balancing between right and wrong

The interview becomes even more compelling when discussing ethics. Vugts rejects both sensationalism and absolute transparency. Publishing everything a journalist knows is not necessarily responsible journalism. Instead, each story requires weighing competing interests: the public's right to know, victims' privacy, ongoing criminal investigations and broader societal consequences. A revealing example concerns his investigation into the extortion of Ajax footballer Brian Brobbey. The story took months to develop and involved repeated discussions about whether publication might expose Brobbey or his family to greater danger. Initially, Vugts deliberately withheld, in earlier publications, Brobbey’s identity while continuing to investigate the broader phenomenon. Eventually, however, he concluded that remaining silent would allow the extortion to continue unnoticed. “If you don't expose extortion,” he reflects, “that's exactly how extortion continues.” 

The story illustrates an important point running throughout the interview: ethical journalism is rarely about choosing between right and wrong. More often, it involves balancing competing responsibilities, knowing that every decision has consequences. Reporting under threat Perhaps inevitably, the conversation turns to his own security. Vugts speaks matter-of-factly about the period during which a credible source revealed that a criminal organization intended to murder him because of information he possessed. What followed was six months of intensive protection, living in a safe house, traveling in armored vehicles and surrendering much of his personal freedom. “You have zero privacy,” he recalls. “Your entire schedule has to be shared with the authorities.” He spends relatively little time describing fear itself. Instead, he reflects on how crime journalism has changed. Only a decade ago, he says, many journalists considered the idea of organized crime assassinating reporters almost unimaginable. Today, that assumption has disappeared and gotten more real, after the multiple murders in this work field. The profession has adapted accordingly. Crime reporters increasingly consult one another not only about investigations but also about personal safety and wellbeing.

Independence under pressure

An important topic of the interview concerns Vugts' insistence on remaining independent, even when he himself became the target of organized crime. Although he knew there were concrete plans to kill him, he deliberately avoided becoming part of the police investigation because he believed doing so would compromise his role as a journalist. Instead, he continued reporting on the same criminal networks. “We only have two weapons,” he says: “The truth and our independence.” His commitment also shapes the importance of objectivity. Vugts acknowledges that perfect objectivity does not exist, every journalist makes editorial choices. The challenge is therefore not to eliminate bias completely, but to remain constantly aware of it, by consulting different sources, questioning assumptions and allowing competing perspectives to challenge one’s own conclusions. 

Towards the end of our conversation, the interview shifts from professional practice to personal wellbeing. Vugts admits that some stories stay with him far longer than others. The murders of colleagues and acquaintances, graphic evidence from criminal investigations and months spent under armed protection have all left their mark. Yet his response is not one of resignation. Instead, he emphasizes the importance of trusted colleagues, conversations with his wife (herself a journalist, which makes it easier) and consciously creating distance through sport and everyday life. Above all, however, what motivates him is a belief that crime journalism serves a democratic purpose. “We can't stop writing about these people,” he says simply. That conviction perhaps captures the interview better than any other quotation. 

While organized crime, digital misinformation and threats against journalists continue to reshape the profession, Vugts' remarks suggest that the foundations of good journalism remain constant. Investigative reporting still begins with curiosity, depends on trust and networks, demands careful ethical judgement and ultimately seeks to provide the public with an accurate account of complex realities. In an era where journalists themselves increasingly become part of the story, Vugts reminds us that the profession’s greatest strength does not lie in speed or exclusivity, but in something far more enduring: the patient pursuit of truth.

Kayleigh Gielis is a master’s student in International Crimes, Conflict and Criminology at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. She holds a bachelor’s degree in criminology from Leiden University, where she also completed the Honours College Law programme. During her studies, she worked as a student-assistant at Leiden University, contributing to research on screening practices. Alongside her academic work, Kayleigh is a military working student at Defensity College. Her interests include security, organized crime, terrorism and the intersection of crime and conflict. She is particularly interested in the role of defense organizations in responding to emerging security threats. Quotes are translated from Dutch to English by the author.