As discussed several times before, the state-run Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) created a blatantly misleading news report with decidedly antisemitic undertones that it stubbornly defends.
Ester Kristoffersen, the woman arguably defamed by this report, has asked the network to make public the raw footage of the report, so that independent experts can assess the extent to which the report conveys anything remotely resembling what she and others said and did in the report.
NRK refuses, claiming that it doesn't understand the usefulness of such footage. A tacit admission of guilt, if you ask me.
There are two issues to consider:
1) Has NRK manipulated footage, quotes, and other material obtained from interviews with Dr. Kristoffersen and others to present an account there is no real substantiation for?
2) Does NRK concede that such manipulation is a serious breach of journalistic ethical standards?
At this point, NRK's defense has been to deny both: it didn't manipulate anything, and what it may have manipulated is completely fair.
It is time for NRK to come clean on this: it must release all the relevant footage for independent review and also clarify its ethical standards.
It's a sad example of what's going in the Norwegian media. I hope bloggers like you may change this. However, even with blogs like document.no, minimal impact will be felt unless Norway gets a strong newspaper or TV station that is not leftish centre-leftish. I won't hold my breath..
Posted by: NN | November 25, 2004 at 02:03 PM