It is one of the five independent opinion magazines in the Netherlands, alongside HP/De Tijd, Vrij Nederland, Elsevier and the Jewish weekly NIW.

De Groene Amsterdammer was founded in 1877,[1] Martin van Amerongen was the editor-in-chief from 1984 to 1997 and then again from 1999 to 2002.

[2] De Groene Amsterdammer making it one of the oldest Dutch news magazines still in existence.

[1] Over the course of time the magazine manifested itself in Dutch media with a wide range of subjects being published about, varying from philosophy, politics and literature to the liberal arts.

De Groene Amsterdammer, unlike its name suggests, shows a keen interest in international subjects, with a network of freelance correspondents in various countries over the world.