Foreign journalists create a new market

We have been in the café in Nuuk Center for almost 20 minutes, when Patrick Abrahamsen finally sits down. We have come to meet him, as agreed, but since we entered, his cell phone has rung at least three times.

In the meantime, he has talked to people passing by, got up, walked around the café and visited his computer several times to answer emails.

We have been in the café in Nuuk Center for almost 20 minutes, when Patrick Abrahamsen finally sits down. We have come to meet him, as agreed, but since we entered, his cell phone has rung at least three times.

In the meantime, he has talked to people passing by, got up, walked around the café and visited his computer several times to answer emails.

- I could use four extra hours a day, says Patrick Abrahamsen.

Interest received another significant boost on January 3 when the United States attacked Venezuela. Since then, inquiries have increased sharply again.

- And then it has been non-stop ever since. It has only increased. There have only been more.

Because when our country becomes the center of the world, the world press must go to Greenland - and you can feel it.

A market emerges

The fixer role is well known in many parts of the world, but relatively new in a Greenlandic context. A fixer acts as a link between foreign journalists and the local community – and helps with everything from interviews and logistics to cultural understanding.

- Foreign journalists contact anyone and everyone when they need help. All companies, all platforms.

But when Trump Jr. were on their way to Greenland last year, there was nowhere to turn. That's why Patrick got the idea.

- There wasn't one place you could turn to. We are trying to fill that gap with fixer.gl, explains Patrick Abrahamsen.

Fixer.gl was established last year in the wake of Trump's statements, precisely because the need became so clear. The aim was to create a single point of contact where foreign media could get help – not only for fast news, but also in the long term for major documentaries and film productions.

He is an active fixer himself, but also has several freelancers attached. Still, there are far from enough hands.

- I could use ten more. Least.

From SAR helicopter to fixer

Alongside the fixer work, Patrick Abrahamsen has a completely different main occupation. He is a hoist operator at Air Greenland and works in the company's Search and Rescue helicopter (SAR), where he is usually at work for 14 days at a time, either in Narsarsuaq or Kangerlussuaq.

Fixer work is therefore a so-called wave profession that comes and goes in step with the world's news cycle.

- When there is pressure, like now, there is real pressure. But when the news wheel turns on, there is silence again. That's how it is.

Over 100 inquiries

However, the past week has been anything but quiet. He has received a lot of mail.

– Over 100 emails and inquiries. Daily between 30 and 50 emails, plus calls on WhatsApp. It is violent, he says.

According to Patrick Abrahamsen, media interest follows a clear pattern. First comes the fast news – short features and reactions from the street. Later the longer  stories follow.

– The long formats, documentaries and in-depth programmes. These are often the larger companies, and they typically come a little later.

Ethical boundaries

Although the hustle and bustle is good for business, fixer.gl does not accept all tasks uncritically.

- We work with a clear code of conduct (code of conduct, ed.). We don't like journalists pushing their way into places they don't have access to.

For fixer.gl, it is also about protecting the people who stand up for interviews.

- When we bring in a medium, the interviewee must be able to trust that they will be treated properly and that there will be no questions that have not been agreed upon.

This also means that some media are excluded, among other things if they are judged to have a hidden agenda.

- There are media which are actually propaganda. We say no to them. You need to know who you are working with and what narrative they are sending out about Greenland.

Local influence on the narrative

For Patrick Abrahamsen, the fixer work is more than just a service function.

- It is a fantastic opportunity for us locals. Not only to show that Greenland is not a third world country, but also to help shape the angle that foreign media come up with.

According to him, many journalists arrive without sufficient background knowledge.

- They do not know our history, our society and our political reality. There we can help to nuance the picture.

Waves of interest

Fixer.gl is still in a start-up phase, even though the company was established last year. The work comes in waves – often guided by international news cycles.

- When the news wheel continues to spin, there is silence again. But then we have gained experience and contacts that we can use next time.

And the next time can come quickly.

- It depends on what happens politically. The more cracks there are, the greater the interest from the media, says Patrick Abrahamsen.