Norwegian Broadcasting slams lid on critical documentary film (re:Iraq)

[mogster]

The main Norw. broadcaster, NRK, censor journalist Erling Borgen's TV documentary 'A little piece of Norway'.
The documentary is a film based on 18 months of work by Erling Borgen, and reveals that Norwegian marine vessels was used in transporting equipment to Iraq prior to the war. It also shows that Norwegian radar-equipment was used during the invasion and that explosives produced in Norway is used in the Hellfire missile.



Norwegian law prohibits export of arms to parties involved in active conflict, and Norway said no to participation in the Coalition during Feb./March 2003 (We joined in May 2003, after Bush had 'accomplished' his 'mission' and needed peace forces to 'rebuild' Iraq..).

The NRK had sponsored Borgen's film with 250.000 NOK, and had previously OK'ed it for viewing.

- I'm both surprised and shocked by this, because my researcher and I was in a meeting with six editors in NRK last Monday. We was asked to document more that 60 different claims put forward in the film, and so we did. The NRK didn't find one erroneous claim, and the signals we got was that NRK would air the film, says Borgen in an interview with Aftenposten.

The official reason from the NRK editors was that Borgen had used 'unbalanced sources' and was not 'to the point'.

- I feel this is about freedom of speech. The questioning regarding the Iraqi war, human rights, weapons and the different parties contributions to the war is a global debate, and I thought NRK would participate in that debate. By stopping this documentary, they're stopping a necessary debate about life and death, says Borgen.

During the process, NRK has participated actively and has also received several uncut versions of the film. Even so, it was only this week NRK decided to censor it.

- I've made more than 60 documentaries during my lifetime, but have never before met so many closed doors, with former government officials and in the weapons industry, says Borgen.

According to the paper Aftenposten, the relationship between Borgen and NRK has changed after the NRK editors received a letter from Aker Kvaerner (a major engineering corp.). One of the issues in the film is their involvement at Guantanamo Bay, where they have subcontracted 327 different tasks.

- Do you think the refusal has anything to do with that letter?

- I can't comment on that in public, says Borgen.

- Is this political censorship?

- I'm very comfortable with the content of the film, and doesn't understand why they would refuse to air it.

The NRK editor in chief Annika Bjørnstad says no political considerations was behind the decision to drop the documentary.

- The documentary has seven different sequences, each has contributed to the decision. In some sequences it's the with and the relevance of the sources, in other sequences it's the type of music and the clipping, says Bjørstad.
(Type of music, indeed..)

Norwegian link to story:
http://www.aftenposten.no/kul_und/article1264040.ece
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NRK used to be my fav broadcaster, but have been taken over by Xtians and journalists supporting the Progress party. They were in the forefront when the Muhammed-cartoons was published, and I watched one eerie debate in the wake of that incident that opened my eyes.

Borgen has been a free lance reporter for more than 20 years, and has also been employed by the NRK.
He has made many critical films about the situation in Latin-America, and is most known for his documentary 'The Ambassador' about former US ambassador John Negroponte, and how he directed several civil wars in the region during his work as ambassador to Honduras.

Here's his website:
http://www.erlingborgen.com/

[Vidar]

1. At least, Norway has a sense of shame.

[mogster]

2. In 2004 a program called 'A Norway at War' was taken off the schedule

By the same people.

This was a radio program broadcasted regularly, dark humor and very provocative.
It was removed from schedule, officially because it was too dark, and maybe also because it was too provocative? ;-)

The person in question is John G. Bernander, he has ties to the Conservative party, and is even a Bilderberger. In 1990 he said he wanted to 'deal with the 68-generation's total liberalism', and he is also a Christian with ties to Norway's 'Bible belt' in the south. He's actually born in Brooklyn, US.


He has now slapped the lid on several programs critical to Norway's participation in the Iraqi war.

Here's the Norw. link, for reference:
http://www.ballade.no/nmi.nsf/home/ballade?opendocument&url=http://www.ballade.no/nmi.nsf/doc/art2004121309373255447013