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 blog. “But where might these free and independent journalists, who boast about their own excellence, stand politically? Wouldn’t it be ideal to get some kind of sociology student to investigate that, even put together a masters thesis?”

Brynjar told RÚV yesterday that the blog post was a reaction to the resignations at DV following a takeover last year, many of those who have quit have joined forces to try and mount a new magazine and online news media called Stundinn.

“This is a common propoaganda tactic made by those in party politics to label everyone as a part of party politics,” Jón Trausti Reynisson, editor and CEO of Stundinn told RÚV. That way it is easier to write people off in the discourse. “We’re not in party politics. We don’t work for any political party. Inevitably someone has worked for some party at some time. But I have never been involved in a political party.”

Jón Trausti went on to tell RÚV that it’s possible to say that media outlets are dependent on someone. Those running a profit are dependent on advertisers, those running a loss are dependent on their owners.