News

Masterclass med Michael Christopher Brown på MIRAGE Film Festival

Join us for a master class in collaboration with Norwegian Journal of Photography and Mirage featuring star photographer Michael Christopher Brown, where he will let us in on his latest AI projects and share the thoughts behind them. He will talk about how he works with AI technology, and the challenges it poses for photographers and the industry. This is a unique opportunity to hear from an expert and gain insights into the future of photography and technology

Friday, 13 October 2023, 7.30 p.m. – 9.00 p.m.
Vega Scene 1, Oslo

Major media outlets admit their mistakes in the Baneheia case

“We have failed,” wrote VG. “The courts are the last institution still held sacred by the press,” commented TV2. Many admissions and regrets were expressed when the report on the media coverage of the Baneheia case was presented at the Norwegian Press House on Tuesday.

Media and the Baneheia case

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

Bjørn Olav Jahr: Facts must always trump emotions

“Facts must always trump emotions,” stated author Bjørn Olav Jahr when he received the Fritt Ord Tribute on Monday.

Library support from Fritt Ord: Artificial intelligence is the trend of the year

Forty libraries have received funding to arrange debates on Norwegian non-fiction. “Artificial intelligence is the most recurring theme in the pile of applications this year,” reports Oskar Kvasnes. The funding, totalling NOK 2 395 000 is the second highest amount since Fritt Ord began calling for proposals for library activities in 2008.

Masahat: Decolonize the Gaze with Orwa Nyrabia

Decolonizing the documentary has been a recurring theme at IDFA, the world’s largest documentary film festival, since Orwa Nyrabia became the Artistic Director in 2018. Under his leadership, the festival has been tackling the difficult questions of representation, equity and inclusion.
Time: September 24, 4-6 PM
Place: Vega Scene, Oslo

"Journalist robots" to crunch big data about Tromsø's urban districts - new allocations for journalism

Artificial intelligence creates local journalism in Tromsø, Ukrainian refugees become journalists in Sarpsborg, and white men pushing 80 are also pushing podcasts. These are among the examples of new allocations for journalism awarded by Fritt Ord in August.

Fritt Ord Foundation Tribute to Bjørn Olav Jahr

Journalist and author Bjørn Olav Jahr (54) is awarded the Freedom of Expression Foundation Tribute for thorough and persistent journalism that uncovered a miscarriage of justice in the Baneheia case, and contributed to a preliminary conviction in the Birgitte Tengs case.

Riders of the Apocalypse, Facts about Tamokdalen, and new grants

Lene Berg’s film ‘Riders of the Apocalypse’, Håvard Fossum’s film ‘Facts about Tamokdalen’, Marte Heian-Engdal’s book about everyday life against the background of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Johanne Nordby Wernø’s book about getting diagnosed with autism as an adult are four of the many projects that received support from Fritt Ord in August.

The Fritt Ord Journalism Fellowship at Oxford for 2024

The Fritt Ord Foundation calls for applications for a 6-month journalism fellowship at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at Oxford University in England, for a programme starting in January 2024. The deadline for applications is 12 noon on 4 September 2023.

Fritt Ord’s and ZEIT-Stiftung’s Free Media Awards for 2023: Free Media Awards to journalists and media outlets from Ukraine, Georgia, Belarus and Russia

This year’s Free Media Awards will be presented to journalists Sevgil Musaieva and Yuriy Nikolov (Ukraine) and to the editorial staffs of OC Media (based in Georgia), Reform.by (Belarus) and Vazhnye Istorii (Russia). Special mention is made of those journalists, photographers and media professionals who lost their lives in the line of duty over the past year.

Fritt Ord is awarding working grants of NOK 100 000 each to five young satire artists. The recipients for autumn 2023 are: Kjersti Synneva Moen, Gina Gylver, Kaho Suzuki, Trond Johan Stavås and Halvor Mjaugedal.

Computer games are the most difficult cultural expression to review

“Half the population of Norway under age 45 are active gamers. Soon, nearly everyone will be gaming. Notwithstanding, almost none of the major media outlets in Norway review or write about computer games anymore”, sighs journalist and editor Erik Fossum, the prime mover behind the gaming magazine PressFire.

Bjarne Kveim Lie to join the Fritt Ord Foundation Board

Growth investor Bjarne Kveim Lie will join the Board of the Fritt Ord Foundation as of 14 June 2023, succeeding Christian Bjelland.

Film screening: ‘20 Days in Mariupol’ and a discussion with the director

On Wednesday, 31 May 2023 at 7.00 p.m. at Vega Scene in Oslo.
Tickets: Vega Scene

Researchers must not stop asking questions

“Explaining is not defending”, said Russia researcher Julie Wilhelmsen upon receiving the Fritt Ord Foundation Prize for 2023 on Thursday evening. The prize was awarded to her for contributing expert knowledge to the heated public debate both before and after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In so doing, she has demonstrated the importance of daring to speak out and exercise academic freedom of expression in practice.