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A new era for investigative journalism in Norway

January 25 2024

Local and regional newspapers are now conducting the type of investigations and making discoveries that used to be expected only from major national media. How did that happen? Fritt Ord invites the public to a debate seminar at 10 a.m. on 14 February.

Plastavfall fra alnabru til tyskland. foto ingeborg eliassen

A deputy mayor in Tromsø who speculates in the real estate market. Mapping major differences between urban districts with the help of artificial intelligence. Tonnes of meticulously sorted plastic waste from Norwegian municipalities that are sent straight to incineration plants in Germany.

A new era is dawning for investigative journalism in Norway, featuring a myriad of minor investigative projects with major consequences.

The key to success is close collaboration between editorial teams locally, nationally and internationally.
In recent years, the cross-border journalism cooperative ‘Investigate Europe’ has carried out more than 20 major investigative projects in 12 countries.

The Center for Investigative Journalism (SUJO) at the University of Bergen has contributed to 65 published investigative projects in Norway.

The Fritt Ord Foundation invites the public to a debate seminar featuring members of the press who will share their experiences from the European plastic project “Wasteland”. The newspaper iTromsø explains how, as a small local newspaper, it documents social differences by using big data systematically, and with the help of artificial intelligence.

Time:
Wednesday, 14 February 2024 at 10.00-11.30 am
Location:
Fritt Ord Foundation, Uranienborgveien 2, Oslo

Panel:
Per Christian Magnus, head of SUJO
Kristine Holmelid, head of reporting at SUJO
Ingeborg Eliassen and Amund Trellevik, Investigate Europe
Rune Ytreberg, data editor at iTromsø

Moderator:
Tellef Raabe, researcher at SNF/Norwegian School of Economics

The event will be live-streamed and filmed for later publication on Fritt Ord’s website.

Fritt Ord provides support for the Center for Investigative Journalism and Investigate Europe.

Explanations of photos:

Headline photo:
Fom the plastic project shows Driver Agnieszka Walasek unloading pre-sorted plastic waste from Asker at the collection facility at Alnabru before it is transported by train to Germany.
Photo gallery: Development programme for investigative managers at the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK). Photo: SUJO. / The city of Tromsø. Photo: iTromsø. / Per Christian Magnus lecturing. Photo: SUJO. / Power on Askøy SUJO helped Vestnytt and the residents of Askøy to survey the distribution of power in the community of Askøy. Screen shot from Vestnytt. / Renovation worker Arild Hindøy collecting plastic waste at Båtevika in Florø. Photo: Arne Hjorth Johansen, Firdaposten.

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Fake images. On the left, a fake illustration of Pope Francis. On the right, a fake of presumptive US presidential candidate Donald Trump. Photos from NTB/Phil Holm and Faktisk.no

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June 15 2024

A new report gives some answers and, for the first time, the use of artificial intelligence in the media has been surveyed all over the world.

The Fritt Ord Foundation, the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at Oxford and the University of Bergen invite the public to the world-wide launch of the Reuters Digital News Report 2024 and the Norwegian report:

Monday, 17 June 2024, 08.30-10.00 a.m.
Uranienborgveien 2, Oslo
Ntb 0z9vyu vo0w

Fritt Ord's grants for master’s degrees

May 15 2024

Is your master’s project about freedom of expression, social debate or journalism? If so, you can apply for a student grant from the Fritt Ord Foundation.
11

“In an age of fake news, AI, propaganda and manipulation, we must place trust in the photographer himself.” Speeches on the occasion of the awarding of the 2024 Fritt Ord Prize to Harald Henden

May 8 2024

“Each day, more than 3 billion images are uploaded to social media, including photos from conflicts and disasters. However, in an age of fake news, propaganda, manipulation and artificial intelligence, the question is often ‘what can we trust?’" observed Harald Henden upon being awarded the Fritt Ord Prize.
His response is that we must trust the individual photographer. Grete Brochmann, chair of the Fritt Ord Foundation Board, drove home the same point, calling war and documentary photography an integral part of the infrastructure of freedom of expression.
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War photographer and prize laureate Harald Henden: “Credibility is journalism's most important capital asset”

May 7 2024

“Credibility is the media’s most important capital asset. That is precisely why the importance of having the media’s own photographers on site has not diminished. In point of fact, it is more important than ever before.
“This is because credibility is also an individual photographer’s most important asset. “When I put my name under a photo, readers should be able to trust that the content is correct, so that no further verification is needed. This brand of credibility takes many years to build up, and it can be descimated by a single mistake,” commented Harald Henden (63) upon being awarded the Fritt Ord Prize on Tuesday evening.