Helgstrand Files Injunction and Presses Charges with Police Against TV2

What is happening

Denmark

In a short statement in Danish on Facebook, Andreas Helgstrand confirmed that he has officially filed an injunction and pressed charges with the police against Danish television station TV2.

Operation X

On Tuesday morning 20 June 2023, Helgstrand revealed in a press release on his website that a groom has been working in his stable undercover for the TV2 documentary "Operation X" and has taken video footage with a hidden camera.

Helgstrand condemned this way of working and questioned the legality of it.

Operation X is made by Danish Morten Spiegelhauer. According to TV2, "with Morten Spiegelhauer as the leading figure, Operation X reveals conditions and cases that would otherwise not come to the public's knowledge, and those responsible are confronted."

Injunction and Pressed Charges

In his statement on Thursday 23 June 2023 Andreas confirmed that he has filed an injunction with the Aalborg court to ban the broadcast of the Operation X episode and has pressed charges with the police against TV2 and the programme's employees.

Andreas stated, "we believe that TV2's choice of journalistic method is so far outside the scope of what is acceptable media behaviour in a civilised state like Denmark that the courts and the police must decide on the matter."

Legality of Undercover Footage

Concerning obtaining undercover footage by journalists in Denmark, the Danish press board states (page 12) that this can only be done, "if the societal interest in the case clearly exceeds the individual's claim for protection, and the necessary journalistic documentation cannot or can only be obtained with great difficulty in other ways."

The court will now determine in Helgstrand's case.