To put the action, not the doer, in focus, use worden plus a past participle at the end of the sentence; name the doer, if you need to, with door. For a completed passive in the past, use is/zijn + participle (werd/werden gives the ongoing past).
Examples
- Dit probleem wordt vaak door de media overdreven.
- This problem is often exaggerated by the media.
- De nieuwe wet werd vorig jaar aangenomen.
- The new law was passed last year.
- Er wordt in Nederland veel over gediscussieerd.
- There is a lot of discussion about it in the Netherlands.
The mistake to avoid
Do not use zijn for the ongoing present passive: "het wordt besproken" (it is being discussed) is not "het is besproken" (it has been discussed).
Where this fits in
Society & opinions, Dutch B2: Discuss social issues, debate for and against, and talk about media.