Draft:Saskia Dekkers
{{AFC submission|d|bio|u=FTurkenburg|ns=118|decliner=Greenman|declinets=20250502122441|ts=20250430144503}}
{{Short description|Dutch Journalist}}
{{Draft topics|women|media|western-europe}}
{{AfC topic|blp}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Saskia Dekkers
| image = Saskia Dekkers 2023.jpg
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1960|09|25}}
| birth_place = The Hague
| citizenship = The Netherlands
| occupation = Journalist
| years_active = 1984 - now
| organization = NOS
| television = Nieuwsuur
}}
Saskia Dekkers (The Hague, 25 september 1960) is a Dutch journalist and a renowned Europe correspondent. She is known for her in-depth reporting on international affairs, covering geopolitical shifts, conflicts, and major developments across the continent. Working for the Dutch public broadcaster, she has been a correspondent for Nieuwsuur, bringing European stories to a broad audience with analysis and a unique on-the-ground perspective.
Her career took a decisive turn in 1993 when she was appointed permanent correspondent for NOS Journaal in Paris. She later contributed to the current affairs program Netwerk and, from 2000 onwards, worked for both NOS Journaal and NOVA, reporting extensively from France and Francophone Africa. Dekkers gained widespread recognition for her coverage of the unrest in the French banlieues and was a longtime columnist for En France.
Since 2010, Dekkers has been a leading Europe correspondent for Nieuwsuur. Unlike most correspondents who report primarily from Brussels, she travels across the continent to provide firsthand insights into the political and economic forces shaping Europe. Alongside her cameraman and husband, Pieter Nijdeken, she searches for "the smaller story that helps explain the bigger picture.”.{{Cite web |last=Nos |date=2008-03-07 |title=Over Saskia |url=http://weblogs.nos.nl/parijs/over/ |access-date=2025-03-28 |website=Nos.nl}} With a vast network of over 20 local journalists, she delivers in-depth analysis and revealing documentaries.
Her journalistic projects include De Europese Worsteling (The European Struggle){{Cite web |last=Nos |date=2016-06-25 |title=Reportageserie: De Europese Worsteling |url=https://nos.nl/nieuwsuur/artikel/2113578-reportageserie-de-europese-worsteling |access-date=2025-03-28 |website=Nos.nl}}, a series on growing Euroscepticism , and Sociaaldemocratie in crisis (Social Democracy in Crisis) {{Cite web |last=Nos |date=2017-01-03 |title=Sociaal-democratie in Europa in crisis |url=https://nos.nl/collectie/10781-sociaal-democratie-in-europa-in-crisis |archive-date= |access-date=2025-03-28 |website=Nos.nl}}. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she traveled throughout the European Union, documenting the virus’s social and economic impact {{Cite web |last=Dekkers |first=Saskia |date=2020-08-02 |title=Reizend door Europa, met het coronavirus op de hielen |url=https://nos.nl/nieuwsuur/collectie/13841/artikel/2342639-reizend-door-europa-met-het-coronavirus-op-de-hielen |access-date=2025-03-28 |website=Nos.nl}}. Since April 2022, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, she has been reporting for her series De Nieuwe Muur (The New Wall) {{Cite web |last=Nieuwsuur |date=2022-02-04 |title=Nieuwe muren in Europa |url=https://nos.nl/nieuwsuur/artikel/2456379-nieuwe-muren-in-europa-bekijk-de-serie |archive-url= |access-date=2025-03-28 |website=Nos.nl}}, examining Europe’s rapid transformation. She has also extensively covered migration and asylum policies in both the European Union and Africa. In 2023, she produced a series on the Tunisia route, interviewing human traffickers and following migrants through the mountains along the Italian border {{Cite web |last=Nieuwsuur |date=2023-07-20 |title=Migratie uit Tunesie |url=https://nos.nl/nieuwsuur/artikel/2483488-migratie-uit-tunesie-bekijk-de-reportages |access-date=2025-03-28 |website=Nos.nl}}.
In the lead-up to the 2024 European Parliament elections, she launched the series Stemmen van Europa (Voices of Europe){{Cite web |last=Nieuwsuur |date=2024-03-06 |title=Dit staat er op het spel bij verkiezingen voor het Europees Parlement |url=https://nos.nl/l/2511744 |access-date=2025-03-28 |website=Nos.nl}}, amplifying the perspectives of citizens across the continent. In 2025, she debuted the documentary series De Nieuwe Tijd (The New Era){{Cite web |last=Dekker |first=Saskia |date=2025-03-27 |title=De wereldorde kantelt |url=https://nos.nl/nieuwsuur/artikel/2561291-de-wereldorde-kantelt-kijk-hier-de-serie-de-nieuwe-tijd |access-date=2025-03-28 |website=Nos.nl}} exploring how global power shifts are reshaping Europe, featuring discussions with leading analysts and everyday Europeans alike.
Beyond her work for Nieuwsuur, Dekkers is a trusted Europe analyst and frequently appears as a commentator {{Cite web |date=2024-12-23 |title=Op Reportage met Saskia Dekkers: Europa onder druk |url=https://www.vpro.nl/programmas/bureau-buitenland/speel~RCRSA1_0694100480652~op-reportage-met-saskia-dekkers-europa-onder-druk-op-reportage-met-saskia-dekkers-europa-onder-druk~.html |access-date=2025-03-28 |website=VPRO}}. Her reports are also regularly featured on Belgium’s VRT TerZake{{Cite web |last=Hodge |first=Leslie |date=2025-03-28 |title=Schrijnende omstandigheden op Lesbos na brand vluchtelingenkamp Moria: Ik heb mensen zelden zo wanhopig gezien |url=https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2020/09/14/schrijnende-levensomstandigheden-na-brand-vluchtelingenkamp-mori/ |access-date=2025-03-28}}. She is a frequent guest commentator on podcasts, including Europa Draait Door. Recognized for her journalism, she was nominated for De Tegel, the Netherlands’ most prestigious journalism award, in both 2019{{Cite web |title=De Tegel nominaties 2019 |url=https://www.detegel.info/nominaties2019/ |access-date=2025-03-28 |website=De Tegel}} and 2020{{Cite web |title=De tegel 2020 |url=https://www.youtube.com/live/1bhRrO4yROg?si=oWEzw5Gj40vA4q8F |access-date=2025-03-28 |website=Youtube}}