Call for applications: The Fritt Ord Foundation's monitoring project on the status of freedom of expression in Norway
Over the past 10 to 15 years, issues involving freedom of expression have come more and more to the foreground at the national and international levels. While legal limitations have diminished, generally speaking, freedom of expression has to a greater extent come to the attention of the general public, owing to its controversies, corrections, suppressions and blow-outs. Strong political and religious conflicts at the international level appear to have provoked a myriad of antagonisms in the field of freedom of expression. The Internet has raised new issues. More attention has been devoted to the position of freedom of expression in legislation and case law, the media, artistic and cultural life, private companies, government agencies, schools and universities, organisations, etc.
To identify and analyse the position of freedom of expression in Norway, the Fritt Ord Foundation is announcing the availability of up to MNOK 5 in framework funding for a research-based monitoring survey in 2013–2014. The survey should be geared to a collective presentation in the late autumn of 2014. After that time, it will be possible to continue the survey in 2015–2016, with comparable funding.
The task presupposes interdisciplinary cooperation between research communities involved in media and social science research, law and journalism. This can be organised as a consortium or in other ways. The Fritt Ord Foundation would like to sign a contract with an institution that assumes employer’s liability, project management and coordination. The work should be internationally oriented, and have its own website featuring communication and ongoing interactive contact, as well as articles, discussions, links and summaries.
Tenders for the project should include the clarification of terminology, points of view, issues for discussion, methods and a description of the expertise of key people. Any collaboration with other agencies and their expertise must be documented. Emphasis will also be attached to what the different tenderers collectively contribute in terms of their own resources, e.g. doctoral theses, master’s theses, popularisation and communication initiatives.
The Fritt Ord Foundation would like to see a broad-based monitoring survey, but encourages all interested parties to delve deeper into problems they are especially interested in exploring.
The call for applications has a deadline of 15 February. We would like to sign a contract before Easter and start the project by 1 June 2013.
