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🇩🇰 Denmark /Crime & Justice

Professor expects charges against TV 2 over alleged hacking

From Berlingske · () Danish

Translated from Danish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Under investigation
  • A law professor expects TV 2 and three journalists to be charged with inciting a source to illegally hack into a client archive.
  • The expectation follows police reclassifying TV 2 from "non-suspect" to potentially suspect in relation to the "The Black Swan" documentary.
  • TV 2 denies any wrongdoing, calling the allegations based on a "false confession" and stating they did not encourage hacking or receive any hacked material.

A Danish law professor anticipates that TV 2 and three of its journalists will likely face charges related to hacking allegations. The charges stem from the "The Black Swan" documentary, which reportedly involved a female source hacking into a client archive belonging to an auditor.

All in all, the latest development points towards the police now considering TV 2 and the journalists mentioned in the indictment as suspects, and that they therefore must expect to be charged. Anything else would surprise me.

— Lasse Lund MadsenLaw professor Lasse Lund Madsen commenting on the potential charges against TV 2.

Lasse Lund Madsen, a professor of criminal law, stated Friday that TV 2 and the journalists involved should expect to be charged by the police for allegedly encouraging a source to illegally obtain information. This assessment comes after the National Police Unit (NSK) changed TV 2's status from "non-suspect" to potentially suspect in the ongoing investigation.

The police's decision appears to be influenced by the content of charges already filed against Amira Smajic, a lawyer involved in the case. According to reports, Smajic is accused of hacking into confidential information at the instigation of three journalists. Professor Lund Madsen believes that this development strongly suggests that the police now view TV 2 and the implicated journalists as suspects.

TV 2 has not incited Amira Smajic to hack any client archive, nor have we received any material from Amira Smajic from this drive.

— Michael NørgaardTV 2 Chief Editor Michael Nørgaard denying allegations of hacking.

However, TV 2 vehemently denies any illegal activity. Chief editor Michael Nørgaard stated in an email that the police's charges against Smajic are based on a "false confession" made to another newspaper. He asserted that TV 2 did not incite Smajic to hack any client archives, nor did they receive any material from such a drive. Nørgaard added that TV 2 is cooperating with the police and is confident that a full explanation will clarify the situation and demonstrate that the alleged hacking never occurred.

So they will quickly see that it is a false confession, and that the hacking never took place.

— Michael NørgaardTV 2 Chief Editor Michael Nørgaard expressing confidence in clearing the station's name.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Berlingske in Danish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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