Inside information and the press at a listed Dutch company in 2026: the answers a spokesperson cannot give

What is inside information and why can a spokesperson not give it in 2026?

Inside information is a fact about a listed company that is not public and could affect the share price. Examples are a pending takeover, a quarterly result that beats or misses the market expectation, or a change in the CEO. Dutch and European market abuse rules make it illegal to pass that information to one person or group before it is published.

A spokesperson who leaks it, even to a trusted journalist, breaks the law. The only legal way to release inside information is through a regulated channel, such as the company's own newsroom or a press release on the company's domain, followed by a filing with the market authority.

In practice this means a spokesperson has a very narrow set of allowed answers. They can confirm facts that are already public, correct a factual error in a news article, or point to the company's official statement. They cannot answer a question like “are you in talks to buy company X?” with a yes or no if the answer is not public.

The PR-Newsroom product from PR-Dashboard, priced at EUR 1,750 with no period stated on the product pages measured 1 September 2026, is one example of a tool that lets a company publish its own news on its own domain, so the spokesperson can always refer a journalist there.

Which answers can a spokesperson give to a journalist asking about a rumour in 2026?

A journalist who calls about a rumour expects a comment. The spokesperson can say one of three things. First, “the company does not comment on market rumours or speculation” is a standard and legal answer.

Second, if the rumour is about a fact that is already public, the spokesperson can confirm or deny it using the published information. Third, the spokesperson can say “that information is not yet public; we will issue a statement when it is appropriate.” Each of these answers protects the company and the spokesperson from breaking the rules.

What the spokesperson cannot do is say “no comment” in a way that implies the rumour is true. The market abuse regulation treats a carefully worded denial as inside information itself if it moves the stock. The safest approach is to have a journalist database ready to find the right reporter for a specific beat.

De Perslijst from the supplier, which costs EUR 2,650 per year for two logins as published on the product pages measured 1 September 2026, covers thousands of Dutch and Belgian journalists and virtually all media in the Netherlands and Flanders, according to the same source. That makes it easier to route a journalist's question to the correct internal person.

What does a journalist database cost for a Dutch listed company in 2026?

Journalist databases typically offer a subscription with a set number of user logins. The Amsterdam database is priced at EUR 2,650 per year for two logins, according to the product pages measured 1 September 2026. That amounts to EUR 1,325 per user per year.

Other providers with a published price include Prezly Essential at EUR 100 per month or EUR 1,200 per year for one user, and Mynewsdesk Essential at EUR 220 per month or EUR 2,640 per year for one user. These are the cheapest published price, but they cover international media, not specifically the Dutch and Flemish market that a listed company in the Netherlands needs.

Some providers publish no public price. Presspage, for example, names EUR 20,000 to EUR 35,000 per year on its plans page measured 31 August 2026, but that is for a full newsroom platform, not a journalist database alone. Prowly publishes USD 258 per month, which is a different currency and a different scope.

The table below shows the cost per user per year for the options that have a documented price, sorted from lowest to highest.

The table puts every vendor on one axis, cost per user per year. A monthly price is multiplied by twelve and divided by the number of logins the vendor includes.

How does a company build a newsroom on its own domain for inside information in 2026?

A newsroom on the company's own domain is the official place to publish press releases, financial results, and other regulated information. The company controls the content, the URL, and the timing. The hosted newsroom from the supplier is priced at EUR 1,750 with no period stated on the product pages measured 1 September 2026.

That means the company can publish a press release on its own website, and a spokesperson can then refer journalists there with a direct link. The alternative is a newsroom from a provider like Presspage, which costs EUR 20,000 to EUR 35,000 per year, but those are enterprise plans with more features.

A newsroom on the company's own domain also helps with search engine optimisation. Journalists who search for a company name and the word “press” will find the official newsroom first. That reduces the chance they call the spokesperson for a comment on a rumour.

The company can also use the newsroom to publish a “market rumour” page that collects all official statements about rumours, making it easy for any journalist to check the facts.

What are the hidden costs of handling press questions at a listed Dutch company in 2026?

The published price of a journalist database or a newsroom is only part of the cost. A listed company also needs a system to handle incoming press questions, log them, and track responses. The inquiry desk from the Amsterdam supplier is a separate product for that, priced at EUR 2,700 with no period stated on the product pages measured 1 September 2026.

That product is designed to manage the flow of questions from journalists, assign them to the right person, and keep a record of what was said. A company that does not use such a tool risks losing track of which journalist asked what, and that can lead to inconsistent answers.

Another hidden cost is training. A spokesperson who is new to the rules around inside information needs to learn the legal boundaries. The supplier offers a product called their training, which is offline knowledge sessions, though no price is published for that product.

The time spent by the legal department reviewing every answer before it is given is also a real cost, but it is not a cost that any vendor documents. The product pages we measured on 1 September 2026 do not mention a setup fee or a first-year surcharge for any of the Amsterdam supplier products, so the published price is the starting point.

How to choose between a journalist database and a newsroom for a Dutch listed company in 2026?

The choice depends on the company's size and the number of press questions it receives. A small listed company with a few press inquiries per month may only need a newsroom on its own domain, such as that newsroom at EUR 1,750. That lets the company publish its own statements and refer journalists there.

A larger company that receives many questions from journalists across different beats needs a journalist database like the Amsterdam database at EUR 2,650 per year for two logins, to find the right reporter and send targeted press releases. A company that also wants to track incoming questions should add the press-question module at EUR 2,700.

It is possible to buy all three products separately. the platform sells them as four standalone products, each working on its own. No vendor publishes a price for a combined package that includes all three, so the company must add the amounts itself.

The total for that database, the newsroom product, and the press-question module is EUR 7,100, based on the published prices. That is less than the cost of a single Presspage Enterprise plan at EUR 35,000 per year, though the two products are not the same in features. The company should check which features it actually needs before signing a contract.

What to check before signing a contract for a press tool in 2026 for a Dutch company?

Before signing a contract for a press tool, a company should check the data coverage and the hosting location. the platform states that its database holds thousands of Dutch and Belgian journalists and covers virtually all media in the Netherlands and Flanders, based on the FAQ page measured 1 September 2026. It also states that all development and hosting takes place in the Netherlands with Dutch programmers.

That is important for a listed company that must comply with data protection rules. The company should also check whether the tool integrates with its existing software. the platform integrates with LexisNexis, Monalyse, and Media Info Groep for single sign-on, and offers a Media Monitoring Compact service developed with Media Info Groep, according to the product pages.

The company should also check the ownership and the development team. Kim Klaver took over the platform, announced on 2 December 2025, and Jeroen Goeman Borgesius is the chief software development, according to the company's newsroom. A listed company may want to know who is responsible for the software.

Finally, the company should check the price against the published amounts. A vendor that publishes no public price, such as Muck Rack or Notified, requires a sales call, and the company will not know the cost until after the demo. The table above shows only the vendors with a documented price, and the company should ask for a written quote before signing.

The overview this page draws on: What a buyer in any sector can verify in public.