Interactive workshop: Niemand die het ziet
In an age of disinformation and digital threats, how do you teach teens and young adults to tell truth from manipulation? Together with the Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision and The Other Room, we built Niemand die het ziet: a workshop for students and educational institutions that puts them in the role of investigative journalists, so they experience firsthand why investigative journalism matters for democracy in the fight against disinformation.
What we provided
Why this workshop exists
Niemand die het ziet started as a docu-series, produced by The Other Room for BNN VARA and following investigative journalist Huib Modderkolk as he uncovers how espionage and digital threats quietly undermine democracy. For the Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision, watching wasn't enough. They wanted students to feel what was at stake, not just see it.
That question shaped the workshop. Together with The Other Room, we translated the documentary's themes into an interactive experience that puts students in the role of investigative journalists themselves.
A mystery you have to solve together
The workshop sends students into the Sound and Vision archive to uncover a mystery. They work in teams, and each team digs into a different piece of the story: archival material, camera footage, police reports, documents, and conversations with informants.
The investigation mixes digital and physical sources, so students move between screen and table as they follow the trail.
Guided by a journalist who has done the work
Throughout the investigation, students are guided by short video clips from investigative journalist Huib Modderkolk, the central figure in the Niemand die het ziet documentary series. He shares practical lessons from his own work: how to filter information, question your sources, and see how a narrative gets built.
Findings that only add up when you share them
Each team investigates a different aspect of the mystery, and their findings land on a shared research map. Students build on one another's discoveries, and the case only cracks when every team brings its piece to the table.
It is investigative journalism in miniature: open communication, real teamwork, and the satisfaction of watching separate threads come together into one answer.
Shaping the narrative
At the end of the investigation, each team builds a news article, choosing the headline, images, and text to present what they found. A workshop mentor then opens up a conversation about those editorial choices.
Why this headline and not that one? What changes when you pick a different image? Students see, in their own work, how perspective shapes a story and how media shapes what the public takes to be true.
Built to teach media literacy by doing
Niemand die het ziet turns the documentary's heavy themes, from cyber threats to manipulated narratives, into something students can actively explore rather than just watch. By the end, they have practised the skills the subject demands: questioning, verifying, and finding their way through today's media reality.
Working with Tapart is a joy! They can do it all – design meaningful interactions, create stunning visuals, and develop user-friendly applications. Collaboration with Tapart truly feels like co-creation – the outcome of our joint sessions always exceeded expectations. An almost fully interactive workshop is next level for Beeld & Geluid, and it was only possible thanks to Tapart. They immediately connected with the theme, genuinely think along, and are incredibly approachable.