Iceland urges media to lift nation’s gloom

Grein eftir Andrew Jack hjá Financial Times, Iceland urges media to lift nation's gloom

 

Iceland's media have been told to put a more positive spin on the news because of fears they could intensify the gloom that has descended on the nation since its banks collapsed last year and sent a thriving economy into a tailspin.

Amid fears that collective funk could lead to long-term health problems for the small and tight-knit population, the state Public Health Institute is trying to “re-educate” news organisations to be more “constructive” in their coverage.

“The media are too negative,” says Gudjon Magnusson, professor of public health at Reykjavik University, who has worked with radio broadcasters to inject positive stories into breakfast-time news programmes.

The officials say they recognise the importance of media freedom, and understand why journalists who did not foresee the crisis are now being critical, but they are anxious to implement lessons learnt by neighbouring countries – all of which have a reputation for a morose outlook – in previous economic shocks.

In the early 1990s the children of Finns who lost their jobs in the downturn were thrown out of play centres, depriving them of the support of other families.

When crisis hit the Faroe islands many people emigrated – but the global nature of the crisis means that is not a realistic option for Icelanders.

The cracks are beginning to show in the island’s economic and social fabric. It is estimated that 25 per cent of households are on the brink of bankruptcy. Burglaries have doubled in the past six months but the police face cuts. Hospital wards are facing closure, plans for an old people’s home have been put on hold and waiting lists for non-critical operations are growing.

A recent poll revealed that almost a third of all adults and 50 per cent of 18-to-24-year-olds were considering emigrating.

Icelandic medical specialists say they will closely monitor the long-term impact of the crisis on health and welfare. But it is important “for the mental well-being” of Iceland for it to become integrated with the European Union, Prof Magnusson says.

Iceland has already won plaudits for swiftly launching a “welfare watch” to respond to physical and mental health problems that could be linked to the crisis.

Prof Magnusson says there have been few signs of an increase in health problems, except for a jump in psychiatric consultations and heart concerns in the two weeks after the crisis struck last October.

But despite worries about longer-term effects including a “lost generation”, as suffered by Finland after its crisis in the early 1990s, Prof Magnusson also said that Iceland’s tight-knit community of just 330,000 gave it a greater chance of accepting the pressures of the downturn than larger countries, with those – including university professors such as himself – who still had jobs accepting salary cuts and taxes to help support the unemployed.