The office of Prime Minister Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir responded to
accusations that repeated requests from foreign media for interviews
have been ignored, saying the media outlets aren’t telling the whole
story.
PM press agent Urður Gunnarsdóttir told Morgunblaðið, “The policy is to grant as many interviews to foreign media as possible. It is important to talk to those who show an interest, to show what we are doing to bring relief to the financial crisis.”
The statement comes in response to the criticism from Hughes Beaudouin – news editor of TF1, the largest television station in France – that the Prime Minister’s office has twice ignored requests for an interview.
Gunnarsdóttir countered that TF1 “isn’t telling the whole story”, in particular, that the station has been granted interviews with Foreign Minister Össur Skarphéðinsson. It was also pointed out that Minister of Finance Steingrímur J. Sigfússon has given between 20 and 30 interviews to foreign media in the past two months alone.
Still, there has yet to be an established time when, if ever, the Prime Minister will grant TF1’s request for an interview.