DV (newspaper)


DV is a tabloid and online newspaper in Iceland published by Frjáls fjölmiðlun ehf. It came into existence in 1981 when two formerly independent newspapers, Vísir and Dagblaðið, merged. DV also has an online publication at DV.is.
It was one of the biggest newspapers in Iceland early on and at one point had a 64% readership in Iceland. In the 1990s its readership started to dwindle and in 2003 its publisher was declared bankrupt. It was resurrected a week later by the publisher of Fréttablaðið. In 2006 it was changed from a daily newspaper into a weekly one. Since then it has changed publishers regularly and in 2018 its publisher, DV ehf., went bankrupt. Its assets were bought by a new publisher,.
In December 2019, Torg ehf., the owner of Fréttablaðið, agreed to buy Dagblaðið Vísir from Frjáls Fjölmiðlun ehf.
The paper has changed dramatically since its inception. Today it is published weekly and focuses mainly on sensational crime stories, astrology, and domestic and foreign celebrity news. Its editorial policy has sparked public controversies in Iceland.

Report of the Special Investigation Commission

In the report of the Special Investigation Commission that was formed by Alþingi, DV was specially noted as almost the only newspaper in Iceland that questioned the Icelandic banks. As a result, the paper acquired broader readership.

Controversies

In January 2006, DV ran a cover story claiming that former elementary school teacher Gísli Hjartarson had sexually abused two or more boys in his home town of Ísafjörður, Northwest Iceland. Gísli, who had not been charged with the abuse, committed suicide the same day and cited the coming news coverage as his reason in a letter he left for his family, although he did not name DV specifically. The accusers of the man stated their displeasure with DV's article as it ruined the progress of the case as well as the continued harassment from their reporters. The event caused an uproar against DV with 32.044 people signing an online petition demanding a new editorial policy. On 13 January 2006, the editors, Mikael Torfason and Jónas Kristjánsson, resigned from their post. On 4 June 2008, DV reported that The State Committee of Compensations had paid compensation to two boys in this case.