Criticism follows NRK’s exclusive interview with Crown Princess Mette-Marit on Epstein

Public relations professionals and veteran journalists have criticised Norwegian state broadcaster NRK for securing an exclusive interview with Crown Princess Mette-Marit about her relationship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The interview, conducted at the royal estate of Skaugum on Thursday, was published by NRK the following morning. Critics question the broadcaster’s decision to grant NRK sole access and raise concerns over editorial independence.

Former NRK and TV 2 news director Knut Lindh described the arrangement as “state-controlled and royalist broadcasting” in a social media post. He questioned whether higher authorities influenced NRK’s editorial process, particularly given the delayed publication until the day after the interview.

Former Dagbladet editor John Arne Markussen, now a member of the Sami Parliament, argued that the royal couple should have held an open press conference instead of a one-on-one interview with an NRK reporter. He suggested this would have allowed multiple outlets to question the princess and strengthen the credibility of her responses.

Crisis management expert Jenny Nygaard told Dagbladet that NRK should have reconsidered accepting the exclusive arrangement, stating that the high-profile nature of the case warranted broader media participation to avoid speculation.

Former TV 2 journalist Oddvar Stenstrøm criticised NRK for delaying publication until the next morning, calling it an unusual and unjustified delay for breaking news. He speculated that the broadcaster may have agreed to conditions set by the royal couple.

Ernst A. Lersveen, another former TV 2 reporter, echoed concerns about the solo NRK format, suggesting that a press conference would have allowed for follow-up questions that were missing in the interview.

NRK has not publicly commented on the criticism.