Icelandic MP Jón Gnarr and RÚV Director General Disagree on Payment for Broadcast Segment

A dispute has emerged between Member of Parliament Jón Gnarr and RÚV Director General Stefán Eiríksson regarding payment for a segment featuring Gnarr on the entertainment program 'Vikunni'. According to minutes from a RÚV board meeting on March 20, Gnarr, who is also a performer, received payment for his appearance, consistent with how other entertainers are compensated. This clarification was made public following inquiries by mbl.is, which initially reported on the board's findings.

Gnarr himself has not responded to repeated requests for comment from mbl.is. However, Ingvar Smári Birgisson, a member of the RÚV board, confirmed the details. The board minutes explicitly state that the Director General informed the board that the entertainer, who is also an MP, was paid for his contribution, emphasizing that such entertainment segments are not subject to RÚV's editorial review. This distinction is crucial, as RÚV's regulations do impose restrictions on the participation of political candidates and spokespersons in programming, particularly when a national referendum is a possibility. The board noted that the relevant date for such restrictions is the deadline for candidate nominations, and a final assessment of who constitutes a spokesperson for a particular side in a referendum would only be made once a referendum is officially decided upon by Parliament.

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Útvarpsstjóri upplýsti að umræddur skemmtikraftur, sem jafnframt sé þingmaður, fái eins og aðrir skemmtikraftar sem séu með skemmtiatriði í þáttum RÚV greitt fyrir sína framkomu í þættinum. Skemmtiatriði séu ekki ritskoðuð af RÚV.

The core of the disagreement appears to hinge on the interpretation of Gnarr's role and the nature of his appearance. While RÚV's official stance, as documented in the board minutes, is that he was paid as an entertainer for an un-vetted segment, the context of his political position and the potential implications for impartiality, especially in light of possible referendums, remain points of discussion. The minutes also detail that the board has not yet made a final determination on who might be considered spokespersons for different factions in a potential referendum, a decision that will be made closer to the event.

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Sérstakt ákvæði sé í vinnureglum um fréttir og dagskrárefni um takmarkanir á þátttöku framboðenda til almennra kosninga í dagskrá RÚV og gildi þau ákvæði einnig um talsmenn mismunandi fylkinga ef um þjóðaratkvæðagreiðslu sé að ræða.