Frosti Logason Calls for RÚV to Address BBC Scandal
Frosti Logason, a media figure and social critic, has raised concerns about Icelandic national broadcaster RÚV following recent revelations about the BBC’s editorial practices.
Speaking as a guest on Dagmála Morgunblaðin, Frosti was asked whether RÚV should take any action in response. He pointed to developments at the Swedish national broadcaster SVT, which has been drawn into similar controversy over how Donald Trump’s comments were handled just before the January 2021 insurrection at the Capitol. The BBC came under fire for selectively editing Trump’s statements and stripping them of their original context — something that has set off alarm bells at state broadcasters across the Nordic countries.
Frosti’s view is that RÚV cannot simply stay quiet after what has come out of the UK. He stopped short of prescribing exactly what form any response should take, but said: “I think it would be beneficial to seek a way to clean up RÚV.”
He placed RÚV in a wider regional context, arguing that Nordic public broadcasters have too often taken their cue from the BBC’s editorial choices — choices that are now being seriously questioned. “RÚV cannot remain indifferent to this matter,” he said, adding that a formal audit could be one way forward.
Frosti also touched on the pressures facing RÚV as a broadcaster. Despite significant state funding, it still depends on advertising revenue, and holding onto viewers is no easy task in the current media market.
Morgunblaði subscribers can access the full interview by following the link below.
