Jan Becaus

Jean-Marie "Jan" Becaus (born 18 July 1948 in Ghent) is a Flemish politician and former journalist. He is best known for having been a reporter and news anchor for the Flemish public broadcaster VRT, a job he held for 28 years. In 2014 he became a co-opted senator for the New Flemish Alliance.[1]

Early life and education

Becaus grew up in Muide, the port district of Ghent, where his family ran a butchers' shop; he moved with his family to Heusden in 1963. In 1971 Becaus qualified as a language teacher, a job he held until 1984.

Career

Becaus became a journalist at the VRT (then known as the BRT) in 1984; a year later, in 1985, he became a regular anchor of the news programme Het Journaal. For many years, Becaus presented the late night news; however, in 2012 he moved to the afternoon and evening bulletins, due to a change in format of the late news. In addition to presenting the news, Becaus was also the VRT's royal correspondent, reporting on the Belgian monarchy; in this capacity he made a documentary about Queen Paola, whom he also briefly taught Dutch.[2] He also regularly appeared as a reporter and commentator on stories relating to the Catholic Church. Becaus presented his final broadcast on 31 July 2013, bringing to an end a career of almost thirty years as a journalist.

Within Flanders, Becaus is well known for his correct pronunciation of foreign languages, especially English; for this reason, he became very popular on social media in his final years as a news presenter.[3]

In 2014, Becaus was co-opted as a senator for the New Flemish Alliance. Some press commentators have referred to him as a "white rabbit" (wit konijn).[4]

Personal life

Becaus is married, has no children and lives in Sint-Martens-Latem, near Ghent.

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References
  1. "Nieuwsanker Jan Becaus gaat in de politiek". De Standaard. 14 June 2014.
  2. Alexander Verstraete (31 July 2013). ""Trouwe soldaat" Jan Becaus neemt afscheid van de VRT". deredactie.be. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
  3. "7 staaltjes van onberispelijk Jan Becaus-Engels". Knack. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
  4. Louis Van Dievel (14 June 2014). "Hoe Jan Becaus een wit konijn werd - VDC". deredactie.be. Archived from the original on 14 September 2014. Retrieved 20 August 2014.


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