How does SVT sport react to the fact that two Norwegian journalists were arrested while watching the World Cup in Qatar?
- It is an unacceptable encroachment on freedom of the press.
If you have invited the world to a big football party, you must count on journalists wanting to cover the event and the country both before and during the championship.
Hur påverkar denna händelsen hur SVT Sport arbetar kring fotbolls-VM i Qatar?
– Ingenting som jag kan se idag. Vi kommer att arbeta enligt den plan som vi har. Och händelsen understryker verkligen vikten av journalistik både runt fotbolls-VM och Qatar, så vi kommer att fortsätta den bevakning vi redan påbörjat. Sedan, rent säkerhetsmässigt, har SVT en stor vana vid att arbeta i länder med utmanade arbetsförhållanden och vi kommer fortsätta att arbeta enligt SVT:s rutiner vid utlandsarbete.
Does this change the conditions for the reporters that SVT sends to Qatar?
- We will have a dialogue with our colleagues at NRK to gain knowledge about the incident and draw our own conclusions based on this.
As a responsible manager, it is of course of the utmost importance that our journalists can operate in as safe an environment as possible and that they are free to ask whatever questions they want.
Fifa has said that journalists should be able to review the Qatar World Cup, can you trust it now?
- I hope and believe so, but we will of course once again present to Fifa what we have said on several occasions, that is, we expect that we can do a full-fledged journalistic job before and during the World Cup in Qatar.
What communication has / has SVT had with Fifa about journalists' opportunity to work safely in Qatar?
- SVT has on several occasions clearly stated to Fifa the importance of a free, independent journalistic coverage of and around the World Cup and Fifa has confirmed that we will be able to carry out our mission.