Proposed themes

• The role of investigative journalism
• The role of journalism in politics
• Interviews I have known
• Working with the media
• Comparing cultures: Belgium and the Netherlands.

Eric Goens

A Belgian national, Eric Goens is editor-in-chief of the VTM Dutch-language TV network and a specialist in journalism, presentational and interviewing techniques, and media training.

He started his professional career in 1991 as a freelance journalist with  the De Morgen newspaper and the Panorama weekly magazine and, in 1994, went on to work as a staff reporter with the renowned Belgian magazine Humo. In 2000 he left Humo to start up a new weekly magazine, Bonanza where he worked as editor-in-chief.

Since May 2001, he has been editor-in-chief and member of the management team with VTM, the leading commercial TV station in Belgium, where he is head of documentary programmes and specialised in investigative journalism.

During this period he has also been a teacher with the Media Academy of Brussels, where aspiring journalists are trained in interviewing and presentational techniques. He has organised various seminars and workshops, teaching journalists in media and interview techniques.

Eric Goens graduated at the Academy of Journalism & Information in Tilburg, Holland, and completed his education with a degree in European Politics at the Fondation Nationale des Sciences Politiques in Paris. He speaks fluent English and French, also good German, in addition to his native Dutch.