On Tuesday May 12, 2026, Heidi de Ruiter defends her PhD thesis Close or far away? The neighbouring country in Dutch and German regional newspapers, which she wrote under the supervision of Paul Sars, Suzanne Brouwer, Wilbert Spooren and me. Here is the summary:
This research aims to provide insight into how regional newspapers in the Dutch-German border region of Euregio Rhine-Waal deal with their unique geographical position: their location on the border. The significance of this position extends beyond the local context, as it links national and European ambitions for European cooperation with everyday life at the local level. Various methods were employed for this research: 1) frequency analysis, 2) analysis of geographical place references, 3) content analysis and 4) interviews with editorial teams. The results show that there is a correlation between distance from the border and the extent of reporting on the neighbouring country in regional daily newspapers, but that this correlation manifests itself differently in the Netherlands and Germany and, moreover, varies between the front pages and regional sections. The manner of reporting on the neighbouring country also differs between the two countries. Furthermore, it appears that regional media define the border region on either side of the border more narrowly than the administrative area of the Euregio. The perceived border region is thus smaller than the administrative one. The European reality of cross-border Euregios therefore does not yet correspond to the Euregional representation in the newspapers of the Dutch-German border region.
Here is the announcement at the University’s webpage