Stundin was an Icelandic bi-weekly newspaper known for investigative journalism.[2][3][4] It took the form of both an online newspaper and a news magazine.[5][6][1] It was founded in 2015 by former staff of DV after a hostile takeover of the paper.[7][8] It was funded through the Karolina Fund platform and reached its goal of five million Icelandic krónas in two days.[9][10][11] The chief editors of the paper where Ingibjörg Dögg Kjartansdóttir [is] and Jón Trausti Reynisson [is].[12] They each owned a 12 percent share in the company,[13] and no single shareholder was allowed to own more than a 15 percent share.[1] In January 2023, it merged with Kjarninn to form Heimildin.[14][15]

Stundin
TypeBi-monthly newspaper
FormatOnline newspaper, News magazine
Owner(s)Útgáfufélagið Stundin ehf.[1]
Founded2015
LanguageIcelandic
Ceased publicationJanuary 2023
HeadquartersReykjavík, Iceland
ISSN2298-7118
Websitestundin.is (in Icelandic)

History

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Stundin was founded in 2015 by journalists and others that were previously employed by DV (Dagblaðið Vísir), another Icelandic newspaper. They claimed the new management of DV had interrupted the work of its journalists.[7][8][16] As of November 2016, the unique online readership of Stundin per week was about 94,100.[6]

During the Panama Papers scandal, Stundin collaborated with Reykjavík Media to publish information from the Panama documents showing Landsbankinn, an Icelandic bank, acted as a customer for Mossack Fonseca.[17]

In November 2019, Stundin collaborated with RÚV and Al Jazeera to report the involvement of Samherji, an Icelandic fishing company, in the Fishrot Files scandal.[18] In 2020, journalists from the outlet received awards from the Union of Icelandic Journalists for their coverage of the Samherji Scandal in 2019.[19]

In 2021, Stundin received 25.3 million Icelandic krónas (about $USD 199,055) as part of a series of subsidies issued by the Icelandic government to various media outlets.[20][21]

In December 2022, the owners of the paper reached an agreement with Kjarninn to merge the two papers. The new paper was named Heimildin and first published on 13 January 2023.[22]

Glitnir coverage

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On 16 October 2017, the Reykjavík District Commissioner placed an injunction on Stundin and Reykjavík Media, forbidding them from reporting about leaked documents pertaining to Glitnir, an Icelandic bank.[12][23]

The finances of the Prime Minister of Iceland, Bjarni Benediktsson and those who were connected to him were the focus of Stundin's coverage of the Glitnir documents.[12][23][24] The injunction was placed after Stundin and Reykjavík Media cooperated with The Guardian to publish information about Bjarni's financial activities.[25][26][27] The injunction was not similarly applied to The Guardian.[27]

The Icelandic government received criticism from advocates of press freedom due to the injunction.[28] This included the Journalists' Union of Iceland and the OSCE.[29][30] In February 2018, the injunction was removed by the Reykjavík District Court, and this was upheld by an appeals court.[24][28] On 5 October 2018, the Landsréttur appeals court decided to lift the injunction.[31] In March 2019, the Supreme Court of Iceland rejected every legal claim made by Glitnir, siding with Stundin and upheld the decision to lift the injunction.[32][33]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Jóhannsdóttir, Valgerður; Ólafsson, Jón Gunnar; Guðmundsson, Friðrik Þór (2021), Chapter 7. Iceland: A small media system facing increasing challenges, Nordicom, University of Gothenburg, pp. 275–314, doi:10.48335/9789188855428-7, retrieved 2021-11-05
  2. ^ Magnússon, Andrés (13 July 2020). "Fátt af fréttum". Viðskiptablaðið (in Icelandic). Retrieved 27 August 2021.
  3. ^ "Iceland PM sold assets before 2008 crisis: reports". France 24. Agence France-Presse. 10 June 2017. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
  4. ^ "Iceland profile - Media". BBC News. 3 October 2018. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
  5. ^ "Report on Offshore Assets Shelved Pre-Election". Iceland Review. 9 January 2017. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
  6. ^ a b Newspapers in the Nordic Media Landscape. Eva Harrie. Göteborg: Nordicom. March 2018. pp. 81–82. ISBN 978-91-87957-71-0. OCLC 1030448099.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) CS1 maint: others (link)
  7. ^ a b "Fleiri blaðamenn af DV til Stundarinnar". RÚV (in Icelandic). 8 January 2015. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
  8. ^ a b "Stundin.is opnar í febrúar: "Vertu valdið"". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 2 January 2015. Archived from the original on 9 January 2015. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
  9. ^ "Stundin náði takmarkinu á 2 dögum". RÚV (in Icelandic). 7 January 2015. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
  10. ^ "Stundin sló met á Karolina Fund". Viðskiptablaðið (in Icelandic). 6 January 2015. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
  11. ^ "Stundin slær met á Karolina Fund". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 6 January 2015. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
  12. ^ a b c Kjarnans, Ritstjórn (26 October 2018). "Stundin rýfur lögbannið" [Stundin breaks the injunction]. Kjarninn (in Icelandic). Retrieved 27 August 2021.
  13. ^ Júlíusson, Helgi Vífill (5 November 2020). "Stundin rekin með tapi". Fréttablaðið (in Icelandic). Retrieved 27 August 2021.
  14. ^ Andri Yrkill Valsson (21 December 2022). "Stundin og Kjarninn í eina sæng með nýju nafni". RÚV (in Icelandic). Retrieved 13 February 2023.
  15. ^ "Nýi fjölmiðillinn nefnist Heimildin". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 13 January 2023. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
  16. ^ Helgason, Haukur Már (January 8, 2015). "Upcoming Stundin Gathers Pace — DV Shakes Off Top Journalists". The Reykjavík Grapevine. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  17. ^ Ingvarsdóttir, Ásrún Brynja. "Sagðir umsvifamiklir í skattaskjólum". RÚV (in Icelandic). Retrieved 27 August 2021.
  18. ^ Mong, Attila (2 July 2021). "Iceland fishing company goes 'guerilla' on journalists who uncovered alleged corruption". The Committee to Protect Journalists. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
  19. ^ Kyzer, Larissa (March 7, 2020). "Journalism Award Given for Reportage on Samherji Scandal". Iceland Review. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  20. ^ Kyzer, Larissa (September 8, 2021). "Three Major Media Outlets Receive 63% of Government Support". Iceland Review. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  21. ^ Björnsson, Ingvar Þór (September 7, 2021). "Nítján fjölmiðlar fá rekstrarstuðning frá ríkinu" [Nineteen media outlets receive operational support from the state]. RÚV (in Icelandic). Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  22. ^ Einar Þór Sigurðsson (13 January 2023). "Nýr fjölmiðill kemur út í dag". Fréttablaðið (in Icelandic). Retrieved 13 February 2023.
  23. ^ a b Demurtas, Alice (2 February 2018). "District Court Lifts Injunction On Stundin". The Reykjavík Grapevine. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
  24. ^ a b Einarsdóttir, Gréta Sigríður (9 October 2018). "Stundin Editor Plans Further Reporting From Glitnir Files". Iceland Review. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
  25. ^ Alrawashdeh, Imad (3 July 2018). "Once a Free Press Paradise, Iceland Hits Back Against Investigative Journalism". Global Investigative Journalism Network. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
  26. ^ Henley, Jon; Vilhjálmsson, Ingi Freyr; Kristjánsson, Jóhannes Kr. (6 October 2017). "Iceland PM sold bank assets hours before financial crash, leaks show". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
  27. ^ a b "Report: Fallout from gag-order on coverage of PM's questionable financial transactions". Iceland Magazine. October 18, 2017. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  28. ^ a b Freedom in the World 2019: The Annual Survey of Political Rights and Civil Liberties. Freedom House. Rowman & Littlefield. 25 January 2020. pp. 488–490. ISBN 978-1-5381-3457-3.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  29. ^ Fontaine, Andie Sophia (17 October 2017). "Freedom Of Press Threatened In Iceland: District Commissioner Issues Injunction". The Reykjavík Grapevine. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
  30. ^ "OSCE issues statement calling on Icelandic government to overturn gag order on newspaper". Iceland Magazine. 18 October 2017. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
  31. ^ Elliott, Alexander (October 26, 2018). "Stundin breaks its silence". RÚV. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  32. ^ Kyzer, Larissa (22 March 2019). "Supreme Court Rules in Favour of Press". Iceland Review. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
  33. ^ "Iceland: Freedom on the Net 2021 Country Report". Freedom House. 2021. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
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