Green Party (MDG) politician Eivind Trædal launches a fierce attack on alternative media and podcasters in the wake of VG’s coverage of the Shada case.
In a Facebook post, he singles out podcaster Silje Schevig and physician Rodgeir Vinsrygg in particular as examples of what he calls cynical “grifters” who have exploited the tragic death of a young girl.
“Sure, actors such as Schevig and Document can perhaps be called an ‘alternative’ to established media, in much the same way that a glass of lukewarm urine can be called an alternative to champagne,” writes Trædal.
He praises VG and Faktisk.no for their work on the case.
“All honour to VG, which has helped expose these cynical grifters. Do not forgive them, they know what they are doing,” he writes.
The background is VG’s recent article series on Shada, the 16-year-old girl who died at a child welfare institution in Stavanger in 2019. The police concluded that it was suicide, but since 2025, claims that she was murdered have spread on social media.
VG and Faktisk.no believe they have documented that central claims made by physician Rodgeir Vinsrygg do not hold up. Other voices, including those at Document and Steigan.no, maintain that VG’s review does not answer all the questions in the case.
Schevig provided Vinsrygg with a podcast platform reaching more than 20,000 listeners on YouTube and stated that it is not her role to fact-check the claims made by her guests.
“I do not see that as my role,” Schevig told VG.
Trædal says that he was criticised by the political right six months ago when, on NRK Debatten, he characterised Schevig as a promoter of conspiracy theories.
“I feel that my words have been vindicated,” he writes.