The media law and the corresponding MC oblige all media outlets to write and send in an editorial policy statement and rules of editorial independence, as discussed above – and many of these touch upon democratic values and journalistic obligations to report in a politically balanced way.
The most prominent media outlets on the national level have, in addition, sets of internal rules of conduct or code of ethics, whilst at the same time adhering to the National Union of Icelandic Journalists’ Code of Ethics. These internal rules are not always displayed on their websites, but some can be found on the MC’s website.
Most of the journalists and editors interviewed from the private media outlets mentioned that internal rules exist, but these are quite informal and not all of them are written down. They were often discussed in relation to the working culture and journalistic practices at each outlet. An exception to this was Sýn; according to the interviewees, the internal rules there seem to be taken more seriously and were discussed as a more detailed version of the NUIJ’ CoE.
In contrast to most of the private media, there are much stricter and clearer rules in place at the public broadcaster RÚV. Those interviewed from RÚV highlighted these rules and that journalists working there take them seriously. A special Act (Act 23/2013) applies to RÚV which emphasises impartiality (Parliament, 2013), and RÚV’s rules on editorial independence emphasise quality, impartiality, and fairness. There are many other rules, including the work rules forRÚV’s news department, with clauses on, for example, conduct toward news subjects, coverage of accidents and other sensitive material, coverage of court cases and police investigations, on impartiality, objectivity, and corrections, on conflict of interests, and on sources, information gathering, and precision. The right to reply is stressed.
Most of the media outlets that reach the whole country and have news desks have internal rules or CoE that stress balanced coverage, allowing all viewpoints to be heard. On the other hand, there are rather limited formal systems for hearing complaints about alleged violations of ethical standards, with RÚV a notable exception. Nowhere is there a special ombudsperson, and as far as can be seen, none of these media outlets have rules or clauses that guarantee gender balance in the news subjects.
