By J. Kavin Ross
Eagle Photojournalist
Recently, a news broadcasting production company from the Netherlands visited Tulsa to report on Mayor G.T. Bynum’s call for an investigation of the mass graves from the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOL), is a Dutch Broadcast Foundation, who visited various points of interest in the city which included the Greenwood District, the John Hope Franklin Reconciliation Park, Brady Theater, the Arkansas River, and the Oak Lawn Cemetery.
Numerous media organizations including the New York Times, Washington Post, and CNN, turned their attention to Tulsa when Mayor G.T. Bynum called for an investigation of the widely speculated mass graves of those killed in the so–called Tulsa Race Riot.
In the fall of 2018, The Washington Post covered a story about Greenwood and the thoughts from Tulsans on the upcoming centennial commemoration slated for 2021. The topic of interest was the location of the mass graves, and the cities inability or refusal to search for the “riot dead”. City Councilor, Vanessa Williams and community activist, Kristi Williams were featured interviews in the publication. It was later revealed that Mayor Bynum also had an interest in the mass graves. This sparked interest from around the world including media outlets in Europe.
On Saturday, January 13, the Tulsa program, “The Lynch Party that never made history books” aired on Netherland’s hourly broadcasting, The Eight O’clock News. NOS is the leading news organization in the Netherlands broadcasting hourly news bulletins on television and radio, as well as, several flagship programs which rank among the highest in terms of ratings.
In the United States, NOS is an affiliated of CBS. Their website www.nos.nl is one of the best read Dutch news sites. Their flagship 30-minute evening newscast, The Eight O’clock News is the best watched and leading news program on Dutch television, reaching up to 3 million viewers a day. “Through the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), we share our stories with over 70 news organizations in Europe. In Europe alone, we have the potential to reach an audience of more than 200 million viewers. In addition, from 10 to 11 p.m., we air Nieuwsuur (Newshour), the leading daily current affairs show,” stated Bureau Chief Ryan Hermelijn.
Nieuwsuur is best compared with BBC’s Newsnight or with CBS’ 60 Minutes, covering a complete range of domestic and foreign issues including national and international politics, economics, social issues, arts and sports. “NOS Nieuwsuur regularly airs interviews with high-level international guests. To name a few: Bill Gates, President Clinton, President Carter, and now Tulsa’s Historic Greenwood District,” proclaimed journalist Miral de Bruijne, also from the Washington Bureau.
