Dutch newspaper in a pickle over herring death threats

Anonymous death threats have been made against employees at a Dutch newspaper if the paper publishes its annual "herring review."

The Algemeen Dagblad's review has become the prime authority on where to get the best pickled herring in a country which, for centuries, has considered it a delicacy.

"Experience teaches us that a good report can have a large positive influence" on a vendor's business, said reporter Paul Hovius.



Hovius said he was surprised by the threats: a negative review did not matter as much as a positive one, he said.

That's because regular customers usually know and like their local fish merchant and "figure he must have been having an off day" if he gets a bad review, Hovius said.

Algemeen Dagblad's spokesman, Ruben Maas, said the paper would publish regardless of the threats, which it was taking "extremely seriously."

Rotterdam police declined to comment on whether they viewed vendors who got bad reviews as potential suspects, But investigators are apparently casting a wide net.