Bas Mesters

Radio correspondent, NOS, The Netherlands

Bas Mesters has worked for twenty years as a journalist for various Dutch Newspapers. Since 2002 he has been Rome correspondent for Dutch public radio NOS and for national daily NRC Handelsblad. Last autumn Mesters inspired a hundred Dutch correspondents and reporters from across the media to create a Journalistic Gift for the Netherlands which was presented at the beginning of 2011.

On the website www.one11.nl, the reporters portrayed pioneers and builders around the world who inspire those around them. Trailblazers willing to take risks and sacrifice themselves for the common good in times of crisis.

“We analysed reality through the eyes of those who believe in solutions. We asked the pioneers to answer not only the usual 5 w’s - who, what, when, where, why – that refer to the past and present. We also focused on the future with the question: what now? In doing so we tried to create an inspiring perspective at a time when bad and depressing news rules.

Surprisingly the reporters participated voluntarily. They were all motivated to tell stories that not only analysed problems but also focused on possible solutions. News consumers reacted in a very positive way. The zero-euro One11-project became a way of telling instead of selling news.

Only a month after the launch of One11, the Arab Spring took the world by surprise. No one expected it. In a way this proved that journalism nowadays isn’t always able to capture important underlying developments in society. Taking a more solution and future focused approach might help us (dis)cover reality in a comprehensive and less stereotypical way. Certainly it will depress news consumers less and inspire them more.

A selection of one11-stories has been published in English at www.one11world.org