Since 1999, Overbeek has worked as a correspondent for the daily newspapers
Trouw,
De Tijd, and other Dutch media in Central Europe. He has published in Polish, including in
OKO.press. As a journalist, he has also covered cases of
anti-Semitism and
Russophobia in Poland. He has also investigated sexual abuse in the Polish Church and collaborated with Marek Lisiński, president of the “Nie lękajcie się” (Do not be afraid) Foundation. He co-created the film
Silence in the Shadow of John Paul II (2013), the first film about
child sexual abuse in the Polish Church. His book
Maxima culpa. John Paul II knew (2023) about John Paul II's knowledge of
sexual abuse of children and young people in the Catholic Church sparked a debate in Poland. In a number of media publications, including in
Telewizja Polska; as well as historians
Karol Nawrocki (president of the
Institute of National Remembrance), Marek Lasota (director of the
Home Army Museum), Rafał Łatka, Paweł Skibiński, Vatican expert Michał Kłosowski, and bishops
Grzegorz Ryś,
Wacław Depo,
Marek Jędraszewski and Cardinal
Konrad Krajewski accused Overbeek of unreliability, methodological errors, falsehood, and reliance on documents produced by the
Security Service. Journalists Tomasz Krzyżak and Piotr Litka stated in
Rzeczpospolita journal that, based on documents collected by the Institute of National Remembrance, John Paul II cannot be accused of intentionally covering for pedophiles while he was Archbishop of the Archdiocese of
Kraków. Overbeek's publication was also critically acclaimed in the Dutch Christian daily
Nederlands Dagblad. Overbeek refuted these allegations, claiming that the materials produced by the Security Service constitute the main archival resources of the Institute of National Remembrance and are source material for historical research. Due to the public sentiment surrounding the Oveerbek's publication, a planned author meeting with Overbeek in Kraków for March 2023 was canceled by the organizers due to security concerns. The author's meeting in Krakow took place in the second half of May 2023. For his publication about John Paul II, Overbeek received the title of “Hiena Roku 2023” (“Hyena of the year”) from the Association of Polish Journalists, awarded for “particular dishonesty and disregard for the principles of journalistic ethics”. The book
Maxima Culpa was recommended in the Polish edition of
Forbes Women by Katarzyna Janowska and Kinga Sabak. In the opinion of
Paweł Sękowski, Overbeek “did a great job” with his book. == Books ==