press freedom
Most read
Latest
-
Transparency International, MPs Condemn Police Questioning Journalists
Transparency International and numerous members of Parliament have condemned the decision taken by the police to call in four journalists for questioning in an operation tantamount to compelling them to reveal their sources; something which both Icelandic and international law expressly forbids.…
-
Iceland’s Parliament Approves Law Protecting Whistleblowers
At long last, Iceland has now encoded in law the protection of whistleblowers in the public and private sphere alike, RÚV reports. The stated purpose of the law is “to be informed of illegal activity and other bad faith practices, and reduce…
-
Iceland’s Prime Minister Working On Law Protecting Whistleblowers
Years in the making, the draft of a new bill from Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir would, if passed, finally provide the protections for whistleblowers that orgs such as Reporters Without Borders have urged Iceland adopt, and which began with the adoption of…
-
Co-Editor Of Icelandic Newspaper Defends Trump’s Attack On The Free Press
US President Donald Trump has received widespread criticism for once again attacking a reporter doing their job, but he can rest assured he has at least once staunch ally in Iceland: former Central Bank chair and current co-editor of Morgunblaðið Davíð Oddsson.…
-
Sigmundur Davíð Attacks The Media (Again)
Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson, currently running for parliament with his own party Miðflokkurinn and polling fairly well, is once again employing a tactic he has been using for years now: berating and threatening to sue reporters when he doesn’t like how they report…
-
Sixth Time Authorities Guilty Of Violating Press Freedom
The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) ruled yesterday that Icelandic authorities had violated Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which provides freedom of expression and information, when in 2012 the high court found newspaper DV guilty of libel.…
-
Immigration Directorate Suppressing Coverage Of Asylum Seekers
Video has emerged showing security at a home for asylum seekers threatening reporters with the police and sending them packing. The Directorate of Immigration (UTL) reportedly later tried to block the footage from being aired. Nútíminn reports that RÚV’s news analysis show…
-
Hard Times for International Journalism
Amidst all the talk of tax havens and political leaders caught hiding undisclosed assets offshore, it is easy to lose track of the difficult situation journalism is faced with. Although the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and its partners made a major…
-
Former PM Tried To Influence Journalists Directly
Former Prime Minister Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson met with news editors to curb “negative” coverage of himself. Stundin reports that Sigmundur had repeatedly called meetings with news editors from media outlets over the years, in all cases hoping to influence what he saw…
-
Low Press Freedom In Iceland Cause For Concern
Press freedom is still considerably low in Iceland, and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has expressed concerns in their yearly report. A new report from RSF on the global state of press freedom includes Iceland, and the review is mixed. While Iceland did…
-
Foreign Minister Supports An Independent, Critical Press
Foreign Minister Gunnar Bragi Sveinsson told an OSCE official he supports freedom of the press, but Iceland has been criticised for its lack thereof – with some of those criticisms aimed at Gunnar Bragi. Stundin reports that Gunnar Bragi met with OSCE…
-
Iceland Receives Lowest Press Freedom Rank In Its History
Iceland has dropped by 13 places down to 21st place in the Reporters Without Borders 2015 Press Freedom Index. This is the lowest score any Nordic country has been given since the press freedom index was created in 2002. All Nordic Nations…
-
Prime Minister Charlie The Coherent
“It is incorrect that I declined an invitation from the President of France to partake in the solidarity march in Paris today,” starts Prime Minister Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson’s explanation as to why he did not attend said march on Sunday. “In fact,”…
-
PM Couldn’t Attend Paris March Because Reasons
The Prime Minister’s Office has published a press release to react to news coverage addressing Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson’s lack of attendance at the Paris march for press freedom, held in the wake of the attacks on Charlie Hebdo last week, reports RÚV. The press…
-
PM, President And Mayor Offer Condolences To France
Prime Minister Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson met with French ambassador Philippe O’Quin on Thursday, and offered condolences on behalf of Iceland’s government and the population at large for the attack on the editorial offices of Charlie Hebdo in Paris on Wednesday. This has…
-
MP Wants To Know Where Journalists Stand Politically
Independence Party MP, Brynjar Níelsson, has written a blog post on Pressan where he stipulates that he would like someone to investigate where journalists stand politically. “Some journalists believe that they are freer and more independent than others,” Brynjar wrote in his…
-
DV’s Editor-In-Chief Replaced —Again
Hallgrímur Thorsteinsson has been discharged as DV’s editor-in-chief. Journalist and literary critic Kolbrún Bergþórsdóttir and TV-anchor-cum-PR-manager Eggert Skúlason have been hired in Hallgrímur’s place. Hörður Ægisson will be its business editor. All three will co-edit DV’s web medium, dv.is. Publication will be…
-
Gov’t Press Secretary Urges Grapevine To “Reconsider” PM Holiday Story
This morning, we ran a story headlined “PM Ditches Parliament To Go On Holiday, Doesn’t Tell Anyone”. The story was based on DV’s report from Thursday, that Prime Minister Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson had gone on holiday, without notifying Alþingi, while Alþingi prepares to vote…
-
Journalists: DV Insisted On Settling
The defamation case between the former Interior Minister’s assistant, Þórey Vilhjálmsdóttir and two DV journalists, Jóhann Páll Jóhannsson and Jón Bjarki Magnússon, has been settled against the journalists wishes, reports RÚV. As reported, Þórey sought the maximum sentence of two years, as…
-
Icelanders’ Trust In Media Shrinking
Trust in almost all of Iceland’s news media has fallen over the last year, except for DV, reports RÚV. According to a new report by MMR, of all the Icelandic language news media surveyed (yours truly, The Reykjavík Grapevine was not included…
-
Reporters Without Borders Regret Decline Of Press Freedom In Iceland
On Wednesday, the organization Reporters Without Borders (RWB) issued a statement expressing its concerns with the perceived decline of freedom of information in Iceland during the last two years. Among matters of particular concern, the organization says it regrets that the Interior…
-
IPI Reprimands Iceland For Archaic Defamation Law
In response to the charges that the Interior Minister’s assistant, Þórey Vilhjálmsdóttir, has pressed against journalists Jón Bjarki Magnússon and Jóhann Páll Jóhannsson, the International Press Institute (IPI) has urged the Icelandic government to prioritize reform of defamation law. The institute’s statement,…
-
Poltergeists Claim State Radio
My field of vision must be limited and my perspective biased because it seems that the most prevalent topic of debate last week was religion. Christianity, that is. Iceland is one of the few remaining countries in Europe with a State religion.…