Fredrik Græsvik from TV2 is one of the journalists who have covered the “Congo-case”. In his blog he admits that he had to bribe people to get ahead in this case. Whether it’s to travel to and from the country, or it’s been paying for being present in the courtroom. Most people know that to travel and stay in many African countries means that you have to bribe. It’s the way many people make their living and survive. But it’s a big difference between bribery to be allowed to cover an important case and to bribe to get your hands on something “sensationalized”, but which is in fact are stolen goods. I think this is interesting reading and want to share it here. Here is what Fredrik has written in his blog:
I broke the criminal law and I sleep just as well at night
(30,500 feet over Europe, heading towards Asia) Last fall I dropped the bomb. I admitted to having bribed public officials many times in Congo. I wrote about it here on my blog. I violated Norwegian criminal law, and I have no problems with that at all. I’ll do it again if necessary. And I’ll talk about it.
Some of my journalist colleagues feel that I should’ve kept my mouth shut about my crimes because they contribute to weaken journalistic credibility. How do we now, with credibility, reveal serious corruption cases without it backfiring? My colleagues who are skeptical of telling the truth about how we work ask. They are entitled to their opinion. I think it’s more despicable if we kept details hidden about our work methods. If we as journalists can’t be open about our work methods, who can we demand it from then? My goal is not to make it easier for my colleagues. My goal is to give viewers and readers as much information as possible.
Dagbladet had trouble admitting that they bribed public officials in Congo. Their attempts to deny it were lies. VG admits to have broken the criminal law in part. But they only partly admit it. The paper has not yet made public how they bought access to Tjostolv Molands telephone, then to break in to the phone and steal the contents. Several crimes they may not be so proud for. Jørgen Lohne from Aftenposten has openly admitted to be a bribing traveler on Aftenpostens own websites.
My point when I wrote about having to pay 100 dollars to the judge, who sentenced Moland and French to death, was to show that the judge was corrupt. Which I think says something about the two convicted judicial security. But other Norwegian media wrote about the matter, making me the villain. When we talk about corruption, there are two villains, I think. Both the judge and his assistant were armed when they demanded the amount I had to pay to get access to the courtroom where the trial against Moland and French were. It would’ve been easy for me to define it as armed robbery. It was also an armed robbery when Congolese police with automatic weapons pulled us over on a trip through the country. They felt that it was a problem that the car was registered in another province. The solution was a few tens of dollars. It wasn’t armed robbery when immigration found a non excising error in my passport, and felt I should leave the country. Or when they found some other error a few weeks later, when I was heading home. They suggested that I should stay in Congo an extra week to clear out the problem. 200 dollars cleared up the problem in seconds. I also have a family and obligations I need to get home to.
I break the law, and I know it. And I feel it’s necessary. It would’ve been a catastrophe if Norwegian media couldn’t cover the ridiculously poor investigation and trial against Moland and French. Sometimes you have to go the extra mile. Sometimes it involves committing a crime.
The organization Transparency International works themselves up over my notorious admission of committing offenses. They threaten to report me to the police. But it was empty threats. It’s also open to definition if it was in fact corruption in my case, when I’m open about the payments. It’s first and foremost hidden illegal activity happens.
An organization called the Union of Privacy and its leader Oddbjørn Jonstad feels that I got off too easy. Jonstad is the leader of an organization who online presents themselves to be an organization to those who feel that the authority is out to bully their citizens. In this case Jonstad wanted the authorities to start a process against me. He reported me for corruption. The evidence was my own blog, where I admitted to the offence. Manglerud police station, who investigated the case, decided that sending investigators to Congo to look into the matter was a bit much. We’ve all witnessed that the police lacks resources. The case was dropped. Jonstad didn’t like that at all. He appealed the decision, and the states attorney in Oslo demanded the case would be opened again. The police dropped it again for the same reason. Now the corruption case against me and TV2 can’t be opened again unless new information occurs. It does in the blog you’re reading now, more confessions.
To be honest is normally rewarded. That’s not the case here. I have argued in radio studios about if it’s right to contribute to enrich public officers in Congo. It’s not like I want to burn off as much money as I can of course. But when I do it, I have no problem to admit it. If my moral was stopping me, I would have to stay at home. That some of my colleagues are lying, and don’t dare to tell about their working methods openly is more of a credibility issue in my opinion.
The Union of Privacy organization was morally appalled over my crimes, and wants me punished. It doesn’t seem like they will succeed. During a journalist convention (SKUP) in Tønsberg recently corruption in Congo was a theme for the opening seminar. We do take the matter seriously. It doesn’t mean that we are willing to change the way we work.
I also used extensive corruption to ensure that I could be in Iraq during the outbreak of the American leaded attacks against Bagdad in the spring of 2003. I paid public officers plenty to keep our Press accreditation, and not be kicked out of the country. I’ve bribed Palestinian officials on the Gaza Strip to get in to the area at all. I’ve bribed policemen in Kenya and in Rwanda. I’ve paid a few dollars in Afghanistan, Indonesia and Lebanon. This is my world. I have to relate to those who demand money. That they with or without weapons are capable to make my life uncomfortable. And I will continue to bribe public officers when I feel it’s necessary, unfortunately.
And I will continue to be open about my work methods, legal and illegal. Even if someone feels that I, as a role model for other journalists should be more careful. I didn’t invent corruption and bribery. I just have to relate to it. That someone is morally appalled by my contempt of the law, so be it.
Hannah French, April 9th 2010
