Court fines two TV 2 executives for breaching naming ban

Two TV 2 executives have been fined for breaching a naming ban when the Danish broadcaster aired the documentary “The Black Swan” in May 2024, DR reports.

Odense District Court on Tuesday fined TV 2 chief executive Anne Engdal Christensen 25,000 kroner and former editorial director Michael Nørgaard Jensen 15,000 kroner. The court rejected Lise Roulund’s claim for 150,000 kroner in compensation.

Roulund, who was a lawyer at the time, appeared in footage filmed with a hidden camera for the documentary. She had been granted a naming ban in a money-laundering case at Copenhagen City Court in June 2023. Prosecutors charged the TV 2 executives over the broadcast, which showed and identified her several times as a possible participant in suspected money laundering.

Ritzau said it had not seen the court’s reasoning for the fines. TV 2 denied breaking the rules in the case.

In March, then-TV 2 news director Ulla Pors told the trade magazine Journalisten that the broadcaster was unaware of the investigation, the charge and the naming ban until a few days before the documentary’s release. Pors said the programme did not refer to the charge against Roulund or the police investigation, and presented only findings made by TV 2.

Roulund told Ritzau on Tuesday that the ruling was an “important victory for legal certainty”, but said it could not undo the harm caused by the broadcast, which she said had immediate consequences for her work and life.

Roulund remains suspected of money laundering and denies guilt. The naming ban was lifted in autumn 2024. Ritzau said it was seeking comment from TV 2, and it was not yet known whether the broadcaster would appeal.