Eight young students are taking to social media to explain the rule of law and high-profile court cases to their peers.
Eight Flemish university graduates will create explainer videos aimed at other young people as part of a "Rule of Law Reporting" (De Rechtsstaatreporters in Dutch) initiative. Launched on 18 November by non-profit organisation "400", the campaign will provide clarity about contentious legal issues and hyped-up court cases.
Snappy educational videos posted on social media channels such as Instagram and TikTok aim to fill an information gap and improve Belgium's "rule of law culture", which 23-year-old PhD assistant Jari defines as "a collective understanding and appreciation of the rule of law."
"Young people are looking for objective information about the rule of law and about specific cases," he told The Brussels Times. "We are optimistic about being able meet this need by providing basic information via social media, which is where most young people get their news."
'Young faces'
Credit: De Rechtsstaatreporters
The eight reporters come from various academic backgrounds and bring different skills to the table in terms of delivering quality content by young people, for young people.
Jari explains his passion for the rule of law and a desire to better inform people: "Most people read two or three pages about the rule of law during high school, but that's it. We want to help people develop the reflexes to think, 'How exactly does this case relate to the rule of law and is it dangerous? Should I be concerned?'"
Jari believes that young people will be drawn to the videos because the eight reporters are outside the legal system and are young faces. The group will voluntarily produce content alongside their studies. The Ministry of Justice will grant them access to (unpublished) court decisions but the initiative will remain independent and critical of the legal system itself.
Disinformation and polarisation
De Rechtsstaatreporters' Instagram page already had over 1,700 followers within 72 hours of launching, suggesting a strong desire among young people to understand legal topics that trickle through social media via mainstream media but often lack nuance.
Several high-profile cases have been distorted online and misunderstood by young people, according to De Rechtsstaatreporters. For instance, online polarisation characterised the trial of Flemish Youtuber 'Acid' (real name Nathan Vandergunst), who went viral when he publicly named 18 Reuzegommer university club members involved in an initiation ritual that resulted in the death of 20-year-old student Sanda Dia.
Vandergunst posted sensitive data online and encouraged viewers to leave bad reviews for the family restaurant of one of the club member. In February, Vandergunst was charged with stalking, public shaming and doxing (putting personal data online without permission as revenge). His outraged supporters started a crowdfunding initiative to help Vandergunst pay his fine.
YouTuber Acid (Nathan Vandergunst) received his verdict on 22 February 2024. Credit: Belga / Kurt Desplenter
"The young people taking part in this project say that in recent years all kinds of messages have been circulating on social media around a number of major legal cases and that they are not always correct," said project coordinator and press officer for the Antwerp courts Luc De Cleir. "They want to do something about that."
Institutional crises will be covered too. There are over 9,000 rulings by Belgian and European courts condemning the State for breaching international law and failing to welcome asylum seekers.
"[The system] is clearly a problem when judicial decisions aren't respected by the executive branch," says Jari. Content will be in Dutch but may expand to include French subtitles in the coming months.
