So, it’s been a while since we’ve heard anything of our friend Davíð Oddsson: he who has the ability to turn Icelandic society on its head with one pithy remark; he who was instrumental in launching the Icelandic rise-and-fall with the privatization of the banks; he who installed himself in a cushy job at the Central Bank shortly after deciding to step down as Prime Minister and evidently forgot that he might actually need some expertise; he who failed to back up the foreign currency reserves; he who lowered the reserve requirements for Landsbanki and then said the Icelandic nation would swallow Icesave – if it felt like it.
This is the same Davíð Oddsson who was recently made editor of Iceland’s longest-established newspaper Morgunblaðið and who is busy rewriting history up there on a daily basis. The same guy who fired a bunch of highly experienced journalists when he took over as editor, most significantly the head of the Icelandic journalists’ union.
Well. A few days ago the deputy head of the journalists’ union returned to work at Morgunblaðið after her maternity leave. And guess what?
Doddsson fired her, too.
Which just goes to prove that the man is nothing if not thorough.
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I am sure that as indignant as I feel about this, Iceland must be really up set. Is the rest of the media covering this with proper level of outrage? Or is it just sad resignation at this point?
Um, it’s pretty much sad resignation. Yeah.
Well, it is not as if the Morgunblaðið is any sort of a “pillar of Icelandic society” as it undeniably was in the past.
I do not care any longer what they do there, I stopped my subscription a while ago and as the paper is a private enterprise I do not see what it should matter to the rest of us who they fire or not.
It must be fun ruling Doddland, a country even smaller than Iceland…
Isn’t it time Iceland had a new leading newspaper, or several of them?
I nominate ‘The Iceland Weather Report’ as one. If still wishing to maintain it as a blog, then at least one of the leading lights.
Is he allowed to fire people without just cause? Or for being a union official?
I suppose, in many other countries there would be an outcry of indignation about such unjustness. It would be sad, if in a country, ranking among the top ten in the Press Freedom index, those issues were being ignored. Was any particular official reason stated for the woman’s dismissal? Or don’t they need a reason to fire anybody in Iceland?
The only consolation might be, that working under Doddsson’s manipulative and oppressive rule at Morgunblaðið would have been no fun, anyway. I hope, she is going to find another – better – job, soon.
Presumably the people of Iceland have stopped buying and reading Morgunbladid? That’s the most effective way of getting rid of an editor.
sylvia from viking wirral
After nine years of living in Iceland I can say that the plain fact of the matter is that a large part of the population do not care what happens to individuals in a matter such as this as they are more concerned about protecting their own intrests. Most people are sheep-like and say nothing and do even less, those that do have the courage to stand up and be counted, lose their jobs, can’t get hired and then get blamed for upsetting things. I’m sure that Möggin has lost a few readers, but the last time I flipped through it in a café it was still chock – a – block with advertisments from all of Iceland’s major companies, privately and publicly owned, all three of the state owned banks, various government ministries, full of births, deaths and marriages, photographs from the best photographers and articles from countless writers. The only difference that I can see is that the Sunday edition is now a scrappy, cheap magazine and not even stapled together.
Andrew and Joerg, the woman was fired last fall along with a number of other reporters and other staff, as a cost-cutting measure, a fully valid reason.
She, however, had started her maternity leave so she finished that and then her lay-off (or whatever it is called) took effect.
All within the rules.
@idunn
I agree that there is a need for more journalistic outlets in Iceland. The ownership of Fréttablaðið and Morgunblaðið are both too tangled with the sectors they might be reporting on to be unbiased. One would have to ask about the stranglehold they have on the media, though. New Iceland it might be but I suspect some of the oligarchy can still pull some strings. Anyone trying to break into the business would likely face more than a few setbacks.
“The Iceland Weather Report” is a perfect example of what the Internet can accomplish, though. And with the Internet penetration in Iceland, it has the potential to be even more effective!
“All within the rules.”
I hope this is meant to be ironic. If the head of the journalists’ union and his deputy are fired by a newspaper, this can hardly be considered as a mere coincidence. No matter, which reasons are provided officially, I would consider it as a sanction, having bad effects on the freedom of the press.
I wonder how many people read this newspaper. Is the circulation dropping? It wouldn’t be at all surprising if it goes bust! After all, he’s had plenty of practice with a whole country!
Joerg, it was not meant to be ironic, really.
The paper was trying to reduce production costs as much as possible and laying off most of their experienced staff was one of the measures. Andrew, their circulation has dropped considerably and it would not surprise me if they went bust the minute their current group of owners tire of pouring their money into it.
I can get the other one to look at frettabladid for free over the net, whats the hold of the morgen whatever over the icelandic populace is it the New York Times or Sydney Morning Herald of Iceland.Newspapers over the world are doing it tough over the internet hence Rupert Murdoch’s spat with google, I myself hardly ever buy a paper just have loads of boomarks. And anyway who needs morgenbladid when you have Alda the most famous icelander after Bjork,Hafdis Huld and your Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir ha ha.
“…laying off most of their experienced staff was one of the measures” ?
Excuse me, but what is the point of keeping the INexperienced staff?
Face it, Doddson didn’t like her.
Face what? What do you mean?
The point of keeping the inexperienced staff is that the advertising revenue was only a fraction of what it had been before, the number of subscribers was down (and decreasing) and to lay off a number of people was the only option.
It hardly mattered what opinion Davíð had of her.
Face the fact that experienced staff are an asset.
Oddson laying himself off would also be an asset.
Rik, the owners of the paper obviously think otherwise.
I am neither a reader, subscriber nor one of the owners of the Mbl and thus I do not have to face any of those facts.
Well, Sigvaldi, my hope was that Iceland as a whole, including the remaining staff at Mbl. would face those facts. I am not a reader, subscriber or owner of Mbl. either, but my sense of justice is outraged that the country’s major newspaper is heavily influenced by an articulate, but partisan, dishonest and shameless clown. It would at least make more sense to me if the paper were edited/censored by a better-educated and less party-brainwashed clown…