PowNed
PowNed is a Dutch public broadcaster that has been broadcasting since 2010 and grew out of the GeenStijl weblog. The broadcaster produces news and opinion programmes with a distinctive, often provocative tone.
What you can find
In the documentary series PowNed of View, the episode Transitie Regret aired on NPO 3 in October 2024. In it, documentary maker Vera Verzijl speaks with people who spent years transitioning and later reconsidered that decision. The makers open with a disclaimer about the sensitivity of the subject in a polarised debate. More about that debate can be found under media and public debate.
Why it is on this list
The documentary is one of the few Dutch television productions devoted entirely to detransition. It also received criticism: BNNVARA opinion site Joop argued that important context was missing. Anyone watching the programme would do well to consider it alongside other sources on developments in the Netherlands.
History of the broadcaster
PowNed was founded on 23 December 2008 and officially registered with a notary on 7 January 2009. Dominique Weesie is its chair. In March 2009, the broadcaster had reached the 50,000 members required to qualify for aspiring-broadcaster status, and on 4 November 2009 PowNed was admitted to the public broadcasting system. Its first radio broadcast was on 3 September 2010, and its first television broadcast followed three days later with the programme PowNews. According to the 2025 annual report, membership had fallen to 11,637 by the end of that year, compared with 12,668 a year earlier. Within the public broadcasting system, PowNed works with AVROTROS. The broadcaster describes itself as liberal-critical. Writer and commentator Chris Aalberts classified PowNed and GeenStijl as part of right-wing populism.
A closer look at the documentary
Transitie Regret was broadcast on Thursday, 10 October 2024. Three people share their personal stories about the medical treatments they underwent and their decision to return to their sex assigned at birth. In the disclaimer, the makers write that the subject is sensitive in a highly polarised environment. They say they want to prevent the broadcast from being misused by groups that see it as confirmation of a particular ideology. The critical article on Joop was titled The Missing Context in the PowNed Documentary on Transition Regret.
How to assess this source
The documentary consists of three personal stories. Such testimonies show what regret means to an individual, but they say nothing about how often regret occurs. That requires research; an overview can be found under science and debate. When watching, also take into account the broadcaster's profile, which deliberately departs from the usual tone of public broadcasting. More about the medical aspects of the treatments featured in the broadcast can be found under medical.