Vlaams Belang Becomes a Regular News Fixture on Flemish TV

A new academic study reveals that the far-right Vlaams Belang (VB) party has gradually become a “regular news value” in the evening broadcasts of both Flemish public broadcaster VRT and commercial station VTM, signaling a significant shift in how the Belgian media covers the country’s largest opposition party. Published in the progressive political magazine SamPol, the research by political scientists Cato Depauw and Laura Jacobs of the University of Antwerp analyzed VB’s television news presence from 2003 to 2024.

From Pariah to Regular Presence

Vlaams Belang, which emerged from the Vlaams Blok after its 2004 conviction for racism, has long been subject to a political “cordon sanitaire” — an agreement among all democratic Flemish parties to refuse coalition government with the far right. Yet its electoral trajectory tells a different story: in the June 2024 elections, VB became the largest party in three Flemish provinces and 143 municipalities, and polling in 2025-2026 consistently shows it and the nationalist N-VA as the two largest parties in Flanders.

The study, which draws on data from the Electronic News Archive (ENA), finds that while there is no statistically significant linear increase in VB’s overall news presence across the full two-decade period, clear peaks are visible during recent election years — and each peak is higher than the last. “The growing electoral weight of Vlaams Belang translates — during the most recent elections — into more visibility (passive) and speaking time (active). The peaks became increasingly higher,” the researchers write.

Speaking Time on the Rise

Since 2019, the average speaking time allocated to VB politicians in news items has increased markedly. This marks a notable reversal from December 2024, when VB publicly complained about underrepresentation on VRT, citing a University of Antwerp impartiality report showing the party received only 3.3% of political speaking time in the VRT Journal in 2023. As Business AM reported at the time, VB media specialist Klaas Slootmans declared: “The cordon médiatique is still alive and well in Flanders.”

The current study suggests a significant shift has occurred since then, particularly around the 2024 elections. VB chairman Tom Van Grieken and Ninove mayor Guy D’Haeseleer remain the most prominent figures in news coverage, but an increasing number of different VB politicians are appearing on screen.

Beyond Migration: A Thematic Expansion

One of the study’s most striking findings concerns the thematic broadening of VB’s media presence. While the party has historically been associated almost exclusively with migration, the research shows it is increasingly covered on social affairs — a trend that became visible during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

Yet migration remains a domain where VB exerts outsized influence. Although migration accounted for only 12% of VB politicians’ total speaking time in 2024, they accounted for 30% of all political speaking time on the topic. “When migration was in the news, it thus happened remarkably often from VB’s narrative,” Depauw and Jacobs note.

Co-author Laura Jacobs, interviewed by De Morgen, explained the party’s strategic evolution: “We notice that Vlaams Belang likes to make the link between migration and purchasing power. This way, the party seeks connection with voters who feel economically threatened. In other countries you see the same happening. Look at Geert Wilders in the Netherlands. He links migration to, among other things, the housing shortage.”

A Growing North-South Divide

The study also highlights a growing divergence between Flemish and French-speaking Belgian media. In Wallonia and Brussels, a strict “cordon médiatique” excludes far-right parties from news items and debates entirely. This does not formally exist in Flanders, though VB has historically complained about media underrepresentation. The gap between the two approaches is widening.

Few differences were found between VRT and VTM in their coverage of VB, though the party receives relatively more direct speaking time on VTM to formulate its own positions.

Implications for Belgian Democracy

The normalization of Vlaams Belang in Flemish news media reflects a broader European trend. As far-right parties gain electoral ground across the continent, media outlets face mounting pressure to cover them proportionally — a dynamic that can further legitimize these parties in the eyes of the public.

The study raises important questions about the future of the cordon sanitaire. If VB continues to be treated as a “regular” political actor in the media, will the political cordon eventually erode as well? For now, all democratic Flemish parties maintain their refusal to govern with VB, but the media landscape — as this research demonstrates — is already shifting.

What to Watch For

As Belgium approaches its next electoral cycle, several questions remain open. How will VRT and VTM respond to the study’s findings? Will the VB’s increased media presence affect its electoral performance? And how does the Flemish case compare to far-right normalization processes in the Netherlands, France, and Italy? The answers will shape not only Belgian media policy but the broader trajectory of European democratic discourse.