Vrt Pano

Editorial tone

Thorough, factual, Flemish-pragmatic. Pano is VRT's investigative flagship — the Flemish counterpart to RTBF #Investigation. Tone is sober and evidence-based, with a typically Flemish pragmatism: abuses are named plainly, without excessive dramatization. Research is meticulous and the evidence must be watertight. Confrontational interviews are part of the brand. Pano exposes abuses and names those responsible — the programme has repeatedly triggered political consequences. Narration is journalistically precise and accessible to a broad Flemish audience.

What this format covers

• ●Flemish and Belgian domestic politics — corruption, mismanagement
• ●Economic crime and tax avoidance
• ●Justice and police — institutional failure
• ●Consumer protection and health risks
• ●Environmental scandals — PFAS contamination, industrial pollution
• ●Organized crime — drug trafficking via Port of Antwerp
• ●Social abuses — care, education, housing crisis

What this format does NOT want

• ●Topics without Belgian or Flemish connection
• ●Science documentaries without investigative core
• ●Nature and wildlife films
• ●Historical documentaries
• ●Auteur film or aesthetic documentaries
• ●Opinion formats or activism
• ●Topics without clear evidence

Visual expectations

Journalistically professional, sober. Reporter-led research on location. Confrontational interviews — often on Flemish streets and in town halls. Documents and data visually prepared. Affected individuals tell their stories. Undercover footage where legally defensible. Graphics for connections and money flows. The look is functional-journalistic. Pacing is tight and condensed into 50 minutes.

Expected exposé structure

1. Title (clear, direct)
2. Logline (What is being exposed? Who is affected?)
3. The revelation — what is new?
4. Evidence — documents, witnesses, data
5. Affected parties — concrete cases
6. Those responsible — who profits? Who fails?
7. Social relevance for Flanders and Belgium
8. Reporter and team

Example productions

• Pano: De PFOS-vervuiling door 3M (Die PFAS-Kontamination, 2021)
• Pano: Cocainehaven Antwerpen (Kokainhafen Antwerpen, 2022)
• Pano: De wooncrisis (Die Wohnungskrise, 2023)
• Pano: De kinderjagers (2023)
• Pano: Het dossier Chovanec (2020)
• Pano: Seks, leugens en Congo (2022)