Icelandic news website Vísir criticized for ethical breach over police action photograph in Bolungarvík

Icelandic news website Vísir.is has been found to violate the ethical guidelines of the Icelandic Journalists’ Association due to its publication of a photograph related to a police action in Bolungarvík. The ethical committee has deemed this breach significant.

The complaint was lodged by the son of a man who was discovered deceased at his home in Bolungarvík. The photograph, which was a screenshot from another website showing the house, was published by Vísir at 11 PM. The complainant stated that the police arrived at his home shortly before, informing him of the tragic deaths of his father and his wife. He noticed the news on Vísir shortly after the police left, where the image of the house was included. The complainant expressed that most family members learned about the incident through Vísir, immediately recognizing the house. He contacted Vísir just before midnight to voice his concerns about the reporting and the image used. He was told that it was unfortunate this upset people, but the image remained online until noon the following day.

The ethics committee ruled that the publication of the image lacked independent news value and was unjust to the complainant and other relatives given the severity of the incident. The committee criticized the late removal of the image and the lack of an apology, stating that the manner in which the news was handled was neither honest nor fair. While police activities at the scene were public, the importance of maintaining fairness in reporting serious events was emphasized.