Norway’s Attorney General expresses desire to introduce greater press restrictions

Attorney General (Riksadvokat), Tor-Aksel Busch, known for his expressed wish to get rid of the jury system, is of the opinion that lawmakers should consider making it illegal to publish leaked information that someone else has obtained by illegal means, reports Dagbladet. According to Dagbladet, Busch writes this in a letter to The Media Responsibility Commission (Medieansvarsutvalget) which was appointed by the Labor coalition government to come up with proposals for more extensive legal regulations of the media and bloggers.

Dagbladet also reports that Busch is also in agreement with the The Media Responsibility Commission’s view that there should be no legal restrictions on the police investigation of a leak.

Per Edgar Kokkvold, Secretary-General of the Norwegian Press Association, is very critial of the ideas aired by Busch. “It is very unfortunate. Today’s system works well. The consequences will be that people hesitate to go to the press with their information. Protection of sources is, and should be, close to absolute,” Kokkvold said to Dagbladet.

The editor of Nettavisen, Gunnar Stavrum, writes in an opinion piece that the Attorney General is mistaken when he wants to punish the media for publishing leaks and that this would be tantamount to state censorship:

“But today Attorney General Tor-Aksel Busch takes a dangerous step further: we believe one should look closer on whether it should be illegal for the media to redistribute information it has received by others having committed an illegal act of [someone's] duty of confidence, it comes from the State Attorney’s office.

“The proposal from the Attorney General is dangerous, totalitarian and ought to be placed in the drawer immediately.

“The press has a legally-based role of being guard dog. It has laws that protect this role, among others a legally-based protection of sources and a constitutionally founded freedom of expression.

“Even if leaks can be unfortunate, we have long traditions for how it goes when regimes with law in hand can tame the media and decide what should be written in the newpapers.”

Google translation:

Will open to punish the media for leaks
02/15/2012

Public Prosecutor Tor Aksel Busch for all 22 July leaks

Now he opens that the media can be prosecuted for passing on information gained through the other has committed a criminal breach of confidentiality.

In response to Media Legal Committee’s report Busch writes that “it is not necessarily obvious” that the media’s dissemination of information they have gained access to the breach of confidentiality, should be penalty-free….

Original article: Vil åpne for å straffe mediene for lekkasjer
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Google translation:

Source Hunting and press criminal
February 15, 2012

Attorney General Tor-Aksel Busch will punish the media who publish leaks. Is it not easier to impose state censorship first as last…?

Original article: Kildejakt og pressestraff
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Related: Tor-Aksel Busch on Wikipedia (in Norwegian)

Related: Per Edgar Kokkvold on Wikipedia

Utøya survivor strongly defends freedom of speech, press freedom

In an opinion piece in Aftenposten, Utøya survivor, Bjørn Ihler, delivers a strong defense of freedom of speech and press freedom, and argues that the 7/22 victim support group promotes a form of censorship that is not supported by all the victims of the 7/22 attacks.

Ihler criticizes the support group for frequently going to the media and requesting that the press not write about leaked material from the police investigation. Ihler says than rather than to criticize the press for doing its job, critique of leaked information from the police investigation should be directed towards those responsible for the leaks.

“The mandate of the support group is to support those affected by the events on 7/22. To censor the media is, as I see it, not within this [mandate]. Believe me, I know how it feels to have to face the front pages of the newspapers, I was actually there too. But for me the interests of society stands before my own. The society needs more openness. Particulary in a case like this, where not just we who are directly involved, but society as a whole was under attack,” Ihler writes.

Ihler, who himself studies and works with theater, also reacts that spokespersons for survivors are against the performance of a play in Denmark based on Breivik’s manifest. In Ihler’s opinion, art should be free, and it is misguided to attempt to prevent the theater to perform what they wish. Ihler says that the theater wishes to point to the madness in the manifest in order to prevent something similar from happening again.

According to Ihler, those directly affected by 7/22 and the nation as a whole are at fork in the road, and many are already heading in the wrong direction, away from democracy and openess. Ihler writes that if one truly wants more openness and democracy, one has to embrace these values fully. If one, on the other hand, wishes to censor the media, theater and the arts, one should say so.

Ihler writes that, even if he were to leave the 7/22 support group, the public would probably still perceive someone speaking on behalf of the group as representating all of the victims. So at the very least, it should be made clear that not everyone affected by 7/22 shares the same views, he says.

The leader of the 7/22 support group, Trond Henry Blattmann, was formerly leader of the Vest-Agder Labor Party and was political advisor for the Labor coalition government from 2009 to 2011.

“It is completely impossible for all members to be in agreement, the world is not so simple. The support group does not wish to be closed, but we have clear views about what we think about the publication of leaks and photos,” said Blattmann in response to Ihler in an interview with Aftenposten.

Google translation:

My frustration

If you wish, as others apparently want to censor the media, theaters and art, you could say that. But they can not put it on my behalf….

Original article: Min frustrasjon
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Google translation:

“We disagree with the filming in court”

Trond Blatt Mann believes the boundaries being pushed on all the time. The head of the national support group does not agree with Bjorn Ihler that group stands for closed….

Original article: - Vi er uenige i filmingen i retten
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Related post: Leader of 7/22 support group negative to Breivik interview

Related post: Justice Department considers law change that will make Breivik book illegal