Media and the Baneheia case

October 10 2023

The Norwegian Press Association and Fritt Ord present a comprehensive report on the media coverage of the Baneheia case.

The report contains three independent studies and analyses, as well as multiple points for discussions in newsrooms and in public discourse.
“We believe it is important to take a critical look at the media coverage of this case through different periods of time. Given that Viggo Kristiansen was acquitted after being wrongly imprisoned for a very long time, the media must conduct a thorough review of their own role. We hope this report will be an important contribution to doing just that," states Elin Floberghagen, secretary general of the Norwegian Press Association.
“Cultivating criticism and self-criticism are prerequisites for the media to be trusted by the public. That is why it is crucial at this juncture to make an internal as well as an external examination of the very special story at the heart of more than 20 years of Baneheia coverage – to learn from it and prevent something similar from happening again," maintains Knut Olav Åmås, executive director of the Fritt Ord Foundation.

The release of Viggo Kristiansen from Ila Prison in Bærum, June 2021. His father, Svein Kristiansen, arrives to pick up his son after the Supreme Court vacated the conviction of Viggo Kristiansen in the Baneheia case, allowing him to be released. Photo: Heiko Junge/NTB

The report consists of three main chapters:

• A quantitative content analysis of roughly 3 000 articles across eight media outlets. This was carried out by Retriever, a media analysis agency.
• A survey of relevant media on their coverage, use of sources and editorial assessments. This was carried out by a group of journalists and editors, led by Arne Jensen of the Association of Norwegian Editors.
• A researcher analysis of the media coverage, based on the insights gleaned from chapters 1 and 2, as well as qualitative interviews with members of the press, lawyers and those who supported Viggo Kristiansen. This was performed by Kjersti Thorbjørnsrud, a researcher at the Norwegian Institute for Social Research.

Arne Jensen of the Norwegian Press Association presents the findings from the report.
Knut Olav Åmås of Fritt Ord and Elin Floberghagen of the Norwegian Press Association open the seminar. Photo from the seminar: Henrik Pryser Libell
Eivind Ljøstad (Fædrelandsvennen), Per Arne Kalbakk (NRK), Kelly Lillesund (formerly Discovery) and Kenneth Fossheim (TV 2) engage in discussion during the seminar.
What has the media learned? Einar Tho (Haugesunds Avis), Eivind Ljøstad (Fædrelandsvennen), Karianne Solbrække (TV 2) and Tora Bakke Håndlykken (VG) engaged in discussion.


VG editor-in-chief Gard Steiro shows VG's poster about the ethics of reporting on criminal cases – in the light of the lessons that VG and other media can learn from the Baneheia coverage.

News

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Sunday, 19 October 2025 at 3.30 PM at Cinemateket, Oslo
Fritt Ord, Masahat and Oslo Dokumentarkino invite you to a lecture and conversation with Nadim Nashif about Big Tech’s complisity in the genocide in Gaza.

What's happening in Georgia?

September 22 2025

Monday 29 September 2025 at 6.30–8 pm at Vega Scene, Oslo

“While art is often relegated to the bottom of financial priorities, it paradoxically becomes the first target of dictators.”

Fritt Ord invites you to a presentation of a hyper-relevant, upcoming documentary film “Untitled” from Georgia and a conversation with two film directors about the political developments in the country in collaboration with Oslo Dokumentarkino, Stray Dogs Norway, Viken Filmsenter and the Norwegian Film Federation. Journalist Ingerid Salvesen is the moderator. For the safety of the filmmakers, we will not mention their names in advance.

“This documentary is not for the faint of heart” New grants awarded in September 2025.

September 19 2025

Integral Film has been given grant for the production of the documentary “Rehearsal for Justice” by Palestinian filmmaker Dalia AlKury. “The film is not for the faint of heart,” says the director. See all the projects that received funding in September 2025.

Free Media Awards for 2025

September 9 2025

The Fritt Ord Foundation and the ZEIT Stiftung Bucerius hereby announce that the Free Media Awards for 2025 will be presented to media outlets and journalists from Ukraine, Georgia, Hungary, Russia, Belarus and Azerbaijan