State-subsidized media links Mette-Marit’s illness to cocaine use
The news outlet iNyheter cites ChatGPT and a single research report when claiming that Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s illness can be linked to cocaine use.
December 19, 2025
Crown Princess Mette-Marit, Photo: Liv Anette Luane, The Royal Court
In an article published last year, iNyheter writes that the lung disease Mette-Marit suffers from can be linked to cocaine use. Remarkably, iNyheter has used ChatGPT as a source, but also refers to a research report. The immediate reaction is that one expects an editor-controlled media outlet, which claims to follow both the Code of Ethics of the Norwegian Press and the Editor’s Code, to base its information on reliable sources and to present a verifiably correct picture of the situation.
After a review of the research report cited by iNyheter, the claim that cocaine use can lead to pulmonary emphysema appears to be factual. Through internet searches, several reliable sources can be found that confirm this may be the case. Samfunn og Politikk has previously published an article on various consequences of drug use in another context; in it, lung damage appears as one of the side effects, read more here. However, this does not mean that Mette-Marit’s specific medical condition is linked to cocaine use; pulmonary fibrosis can have several causes.
According to information on iNyheter’s website, the outlet received press subsidies for the first time this year, almost NOK 1.4 million—the support is based on articles they produced in 2024. The article in question was published on 11 October 2024 and links cocaine use to more members of the Crown Prince’s family in addition to Mette-Marit. Last year, 149 media outlets together received NOK 413 million in media support (NRK and TV 2 not included), read more here.
Today, Mette-Marit’s illness has received extensive coverage in media both in Norway and abroad. The seriousness of her condition, and a possible future lung transplant, is presented with care and respect. The balance between the public’s right to information and the right to privacy is delicate, a balance the royal family continually faces. It seems natural to set the boundary at criminality.
The media landscape has changed significantly in recent years; established media face substantial competition from independent outlets. The time has come for a broader debate about the role of the media and to what extent it is appropriate to use taxpayers’ money for media subsidies.
SOURCES
iNyheter
The lung disease suffered by Mette-Marit is linked to cocaine useSociety and Politics
Press subsidies 2024National Library of Medicine
Pulmonary complications from cocaine and cocaine-based substances: imaging manifestationsMDPI
Drug-Induced Pulmonary Fibrosis: National Database AnalysisResearchGate
Crack cocaine snort–induced granulomatosis and pulmonary fibrosis mimicking sarcoidosis