• Kbibble@lemm.ee
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    2 days ago

    This article feels super rage bait-y to be honest. Like my first reaction at the title is of course, being like “thats fucked up” but as im reading it, it feels like this article was written in a manipulative way. There’s no sources at all, can’t find any using English google, decided to literally figure out how to search Dutch google in Dutch just to find something more reputable and there’s only this one site, which has 2 articles, the only 2 links in either is one article pointing to the other, and another link to what is clearly (from the add/article layout) a Belgium tabloid of some kind.

    Like nothing about the people involved or the situation, but this website is some shit, and so is the other one covering this. They may be on the right side of this story but this website itself feels incredibly un-credible, and I wouldn’t think to assume Belgium has some sort of news media problem where like, the gossip tabloids are the last bastions fighting for bodily autonomy and consent, where it would make sense that there is no other source.

    • wtckt@lemm.ee
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      1 day ago

      Thanks. That’s the kind of comments Reddit was great for a long time ago. Now it’s just immediate jump to outrage without anyone reading the article or doing any research when in doubt. And you even posted your conclusion. That’s just very very helpful

      • DefederateLemmyMl@feddit.nl
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        1 day ago

        Except the comment is absolute horseshit. Vrt is the public broadcasting and news service and absolutely not a tabloid, furthermore this story is well documented and has been all over Belgian news for a week so it’s absolutely uncalled for to call the veracity of this story into question.

        If you want a source, here is a direct link to the verdict: https://rechtbanken-tribunaux.be/sites/default/files/media/reatpi/leuven/files/correctioneel-vonnis-leuven-1-april-2025.pdf

        Feel free to cross reference with the article and point out inaccuracies. As far as I can tell, the article is factual but perhaps a bit short on details and context. Nevertheless, this story has been covered extensively and much more in depth in Dutch on the same website. In fact, I retrieved the link to the verdict from an article on vrt.be.

    • DefederateLemmyMl@feddit.nl
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      1 day ago

      vrt.be is a very reputable site and not a tabloid. It belongs to the Flemish public broadcasting service, and they mostly write articles in Dutch. They do have an English section as well, though obviously it’s not as thorough as their Dutch site. After all, we are a Dutch speaking region.

      I can assure you that this case is very real, and has been all over the Belgian media the past week. Just google “verkrachter leuven”, and you’ll literally find hundreds of news articles about this case.

      decided to literally figure out how to search Dutch google in Dutch just to find something more reputable

      Looks like you didn’t do a very good job then.