– If you say this is fine, you will end up in a situation where you can go out and juggle the media, and thus juggle the public. That’s what press ethics expert Gunnar Bodahl-Johansen says about Ung i traikken’s latest campaign. On Monday, Liv Marie Bendheim, the project manager for Young in Traffic, visited news Sørlandet’s radio broadcast. There she expressed concern about a new “drive through bar” they “had seen” in social media. Bendheim stated that the bar would open in Risør on Tuesday. The next day, she revealed that it was all a PR stunt. It all turns out to be part of their own campaign. – This turned out to be wrong. On Tuesday afternoon, the organization chose to issue an apology. “We apologize for the email that was sent from us to the media in Sørlandet yesterday. The aim was to arouse interest in a serious topic in a new way, but this turned out to be wrong. It has not been our intention to mislead or deceive anyone. But we see in hindsight that it can be perceived that way”. This is what general manager Stig Eid Sandstad writes in an e-mail to news. He says they should have been open about who was behind the stunt from the start, that what they did was stupid and that they should learn from it. Difficult to reach young people Earlier on Tuesday, project manager Liv Marie Bendheim told what was behind the stunt. – Controversial means are sometimes needed to get an important message across. This is done with a good intention, she said. – What were you thinking when you chose this campaign, and to agree to an interview with news to warn against the event? – We considered internally whether we should do this, and were prepared that some might think it was special, or gross. But as a youth organisation, I think it is important that we dare to break boundaries and use tools that reach, says Bendheim. This account has advertised for the Drive thru bar in Risør, which Ung i traikken is behind. Photo: Skjermdump Bendheim says that there is still talk of a real arrangement with a “drive thru bar”, and that there have never been any falsehoods in the campaign. – But we have never said that we will serve alcohol. It’s a real event. The Drive thru-bar campaign is intended to inform young people about drugs in traffic, says Liv Marie Bendheim, campaign manager at Ung i trafiken. Photo: Privat – Unklokt Ung i trafiken is Norway’s only traffic safety organization for young people between the ages of 15 and 26. They were formerly called MA-Ungdom and their parent organization is MA-drugfree traffic. In the press release, they write that as of October this year, 17 percent more in the age group under 25 have been reported for drink driving compared to last year. – Especially in a case like this which is so serious, I don’t think this has been thought through completely, says press ethics expert Bodahl-Johansen. He calls Ung unwise in the traffic interview with news. – Perhaps it is a matter of youthful arrogance. It is not the biggest damage that can happen, but it does weaken their own credibility. Bodahl-Johansen goes on to say that the media assume that people behave in a credible manner. – Here the media were deceived, and then the public is also deceived. General manager of Ung i trafkien Stig Eid Sandstad, agrees with Bodahl-Johansen’s criticism that the stunt was poorly thought out and unwise. He still hopes this will not weaken the organisation’s credibility. Gunnar Bodahl-Johansen calls Ung in the traffic department’s latest campaign a stunt that has not been fully thought through. Photo: Department of Journalism Has its own campaigns General secretary of the parent company MA Rusfri trafik, Elisabeth Fjellvang Kristoffersen, says they do not interfere with what Ung i trafik does. – They are a completely independent organization that runs its own campaigns. Basically, you should speak the truth and be fair, but I think it’s inside if you see it as a stunt, she says. – What do you think that this could weaken their credibility? – I can’t quite see it, but if that is the case, it is of course a shame. The positive thing is that it increases attention and conveys a good message. Secretary General of MA Drug Free Traffic, Elisabeth Fjellvang Kristoffersen. Photo: Sigmund Sagberg
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Young people in traffic tricked “everyone” with a PR stunt – ethics expert reacts – news Sørlandet – Local news, TV and radio
