top of page
Nathan Cofnas, UGent University and Academical Freedom - Universities Should Investigate Facts, Not Condemn Researchers
The suspension of Nathan Cofnas by Ghent University (UGent) raises a fundamental question about academic freedom. Rector Petra De Sutter and her university say they want to combat discrimination, hatred, and racism. That should, in itself, go without saying. But a university in particular must continue to distinguish between discrimination against individuals and research or criticism whose conclusions are perceived as controversial, unpleasant, or even offensive. When that d
Redactie / Editors
Aug 274 min read
Iran Football and the Iranian Regime - A Prop for Trump-Bashing
A talk show producer called me recently. Had I heard that FIFA had revoked ticket allocations for the Iranian Football Federation, and what did I think about it? Honestly, it seemed perfectly logical. We need to stop pretending that Iran is a normal country. We need to stop acting as if the average Iranian citizen can simply book a flight to the United States to watch a football match. There is a crucial distinction between Iran, the Iranian people, and the Iranian regime. Th
Keyvan Shahbazi
Jun 243 min read
The Digital Gulag
Von der Leyen’s Europe proudly presents itself as the cradle of liberty. The Enlightenment, the democratic rule of law, and Free Speech rank among the foundations upon which Europe built its civilisation and by which it inspired the rest of the world. Yet behind this self-assured display, a development is unfolding that is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore: the criminalisation of unorthodox opinions. Warnings about the steady erosion of free speech were dismissed for
Alexandra S. Villers
Jun 93 min read
The dystopia after the fall of the wall – A struggle between the horde and the swarm
1989 was welcomed as a year of liberation. A wave of freedom swept through Eastern Europe and brought with it a surge of hope that seemed to close the chapter of actually existing socialism once and for all. Francis Fukuyama wrote The End of History, interpreting this historical transition as the definitive triumph of liberal democracy. According to Luigi Curini, however, beneath the fallen walls lay ruins as well. The collapse of communism left behind a heavy legacy that has
Redactie / Editors
Jun 88 min read
Double standards in academia? Belgian universities, Israeli universities, academic freedom and foreign funding
The central question is not merely whether cooperation with Israeli Universities is desirable, but whether Belgian Universities apply the same standards to all of their international partners. When institutions invoke ethical principles, those principles must be applied consistently. Otherwise, the impression of political selectivity inevitably arises.
Redactie / Editors
Jun 74 min read
Gazalighting, hostages, accountability and double standards - On the selective outrage dominating our society, media and politics
There is a word that captures precisely what has been happening in our media and politics for the past two years: gazalighting. Just like gaslighting, the psychological manipulation of someone's grip on reality, gazalighting inverts the facts and turns perpetrators into victims. The starting point of this conflict, the bloody terrorist attack carried out by Hamas on October 7, 2023, in which more than 1,200 innocent civilians were murdered and over 250 people taken as hostage
Redactie / Editors
May 304 min read
Keyvan Shahbazi Wins the Pim Fortuyn Prize 2026 - The Iranian Cause in the Dutch Media
With Keyvan Shahbazi winning the Pim Fortuyn Prize 2026, a powerful voice for the Iranian cause in the Dutch media receives the recognition it deserves. For years, Shahbazi has spoken out with clarity, courage and conviction about Iran, freedom of speech, political Islam and the struggle for a free Iran. He is not a distant commentator observing events from the sidelines. He speaks from personal experience, history and belief. His voice was shaped by Iran, but his message has
Redactie / Editors
May 224 min read
Jewish Déjà Vu - We Are Back in Europe of 1933
A well-known Jewish joke goes like this:
Jakob is walking through a Berlin park on a Sabbath afternoon in 1933 when he spots his friend Samuel sitting on a bench, deeply engrossed in Der Stürmer, the Nazis’ notorious propaganda paper. Horrified, Jakob cries out: “Samuel, what on earth are you doing reading Der Stürmer? Have you become a masochist?” In that sense, we seem to have returned to 1933.
Silvain Salamon
May 153 min read
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks - Judaism and Modernity
Last night, Rome’s “Il Pitigliani” Cultural Centre hosted the third conference in the Lechaim – To Life! series, a journey into Jewish identity. The evening was devoted to a paradigmatic figure of contemporary Judaism: Rabbi Jonathan Sacks - thinker, rabbi, moral philosopher, British public intellectual, and tireless interpreter of the Torah.
Lorenzo Cianti
May 1411 min read
Hamas, October 7, and Israeli Victims: How Belgian Media Turned the Story Upside Down
The Hamas attack of October 7, 2023 was not a normal escalation and not a tragic incident in an endless conflict. It was an organised terrorist attack on civilians: on families, young people, the elderly, women and children. Yet over the past years, Belgian media have shifted the moral focus of their reporting from the very beginning. Hamas, October 7, the hostages and the Israeli victims did not remain central. Instead, the focus became almost exclusively Israel as the alleg
Redactie / Editors
May 136 min read
Ayn Rand and the civilisation of the enlightenment
Ayn Rand is not among the authors Stefano Bruno Galli usually engages with in his research. The professor at the University of Milan stated this frankly at the beginning of the fifth lecture of the John Galt School, thanking the students for giving him the opportunity to approach a thinker who is enjoying renewed attention in Italy as well. In recent years, a kind of “Rand mania” has spread: readers, scholars and academics have rediscovered in Rand’s thought an unexpected fre
Lorenzo Cianti
May 128 min read
Speech upon receiving a short story collection about the consequences of the Gaza war in the Netherlands
Thank you for this invitation. I am honoured to receive this anthology. "Woe to those who call evil good." Today we celebrate Liberation Day. Before I left this morning, I hung out the Dutch flag. But with a heavy heart. Liberation. Freedom. Do we still have it? Does the country that was fought and suffered for still exist? Or are we slowly waking up to realise that the idea we have of that country - freedom, fundamental rights, tolerance - has been taken for granted for too
Keyvan Shahbazi
May 76 min read
The moral meaning of entrepreneurship
In the fourth lecture of the John Galt School, Adriano Gianturco- Professor of Political Science at the Instituto Brasileiro de Mercado de Capitais in Belo Horizonte - addressed a pivotal issue for understanding capitalism in its moral dimension: entrepreneurship. The topic raises far-reaching questions: what legitimises profit? What is the relationship between property, risk, and responsibility? Why should a free society honour those who produce, invest, innovate, organize s
Lorenzo Cianti
May 46 min read
The Quantum Growth of Global Antisemitism - A World on Edge
The horrific events of yesterday have sent a seismic shock through Jewish communities worldwide, with a chilling resonance here in Belgium. In Northwest London’s Golders Green, a 45-year-old man was arrested after allegedly hunting for "visibly Jewish" individuals, leaving two men—aged 34 and 76—with serious stab wounds. Simultaneously, across the Atlantic in Los Angeles, a Jewish man was brutally assaulted and nearly strangled outside the Adas Torah synagogue in Pico-Roberts
Shifra Senderowicz
May 14 min read
Objectivist Ethics Against the Morality of Sacrifice
In the third lecture of the John Galt School, journalist Stefano Magni explored one of the most demanding aspects of Objectivist philosophy: ethics. As long as the discussion remains on the terrain of opposition to collectivist ideologies or the defence of laissez-faire capitalism, Ayn Rand is regarded by scholars as one of the great political minds of the twentieth century. When, however, the conversation shifts to the controversial subject of rational selfishness, academic
Lorenzo Cianti
Apr 256 min read
Former Anders chairwoman Gwendolyn Rutten appeared yesterday on VRT’s De Afspraak to comment on Israel’s participation in the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest
Former Anders chairwoman Gwendolyn Rutten appeared yesterday on VRT’s De Afspraak to comment on Israel’s participation in the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest
Redactie / Editors
Apr 234 min read
Hebrew rediscovered – From sacred language to popular language
Some languages accompany the birth of a civilisation. Others come to embody its destiny. Hebrew belongs to the latter category. At Rome’s Il Pitigliani Cultural Center, the second event in the series Lechaim – To Life! A Journey into Jewish Identity, devoted to the rebirth of Hebrew, had the great merit of moving beyond formulaic explanations and restoring to the subject its full historical, spiritual, and intellectual depth.
Lorenzo Cianti
Apr 185 min read
Reporting on global politics in Belgium – neutrality and independence or activism?
The Belgian media landscape, aside from the public broadcaster VRT, is in the hands of two major family-owned companies. Reporting on global politics in Belgium therefore comes from a very limited number of organisations. It should also be noted that DPG and the public broadcaster hold such a large market share that the remaining news supply pales in comparison. The question arises: is there neutrality and independence, or activism?
Redactie / Editors
Apr 134 min read
Sodom and Gomorrah: Open letter to the artistic director of Opera Ballet Flanders
For a woman like me, with a sharp awareness of the society in which we live, it is not surprising, but for a Christian sustained by sincere devotion, all the more shocking: the latest production by Opera Ballet Flanders, titled Sancta - a work unworthy of that name and one that perverts it into its very opposite. For what unfolds here may well be the most sickening figment our artistic circles have produced in a long time. So hereby I send you an open letter as artistic direc
Alexandra S. Villers
Apr 63 min read
The Price of Sterility - According to Catherine Pakaluk
In her view, the West has, in near parallel fashion, broken through two barriers that once oriented it toward the future. The first was monetary. The second barrier was biological and moral.
Lorenzo Cianti
Mar 276 min read
“The smallest minority on earth is the individual. Those who deny individual rights cannot claim to be defenders of minorities.”
— Ayn Rand
Fighting Disinformation
You don’t just get headlines with us—you get clear context, fresh insights, and the latest updates that truly matter. Independent, reliable, and always to the point.
We are here to help fight disinformation. Our team is ready to provide you with concise and accessible briefings on various topics, including politics, economics, culture, and international developments. This way, you not only stay informed, but also gain a deeper understanding of what's happening and how it affects your daily life.
Disinformation doesn’t just distort facts—it shapes how we see the world and how we make decisions. In a fast‑moving media landscape, false narratives spread quickly, influencing public opinion, fueling division, and undermining trust in institutions. When people can’t rely on accurate information, it becomes harder to engage in meaningful debate, hold leaders accountable, or understand the real impact of global events. That’s why credible, accessible journalism matters more than ever: it empowers individuals, strengthens communities, and protects the foundations of a healthy democracy.
Subscribe now and never miss an episode. Whether you’re on the go, relaxing at home, or looking for a news update with BeNews Media, you’re always one step ahead.
bottom of page