Beware of the watchdog: Politics-media-politics dynamics in the Dutch childcare benefits scandal

Nel Ruigrok, Wouter Van Atteveldt, Mariken Van Der Velden, Anita Van Hoof, Department of Media and Communication, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Department of Communication Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Journalism: Theory, Practice & Criticism

Published online on October 10, 2025

Abstract

Journalism, Ahead of Print.
This study examines the politics–media–politics (PMP) dynamics surrounding the Dutch childcare benefits scandal. Drawing on a large-scale longitudinal dataset covering nearly two decades (2004–2021) and an in-depth mixed-methods analysis of three critical ...