Report: "Covering the Debate on Racism in Norwegian Media"

News

November 3 2020

A media analysis of racism in the wake of the murder of George Floyd and the emergence of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Fritt Ord invites the public to a live-streamed launch event on Wednesday, 11 November 2020, from 9 to 10.30 a.m.

How has Norwegian media’s coverage of racism been impacted as a result of George Floyd’s death and the growth of the Black Lives Matter movement? Which themes are most prominent when the media write about racism? Which voices are managing to be heard in the debate on racism as it unfolds with renewed strength? How do the various media cover the topic?

These are among the questions Retriever, Scandinavia’s largest supplier of media monitoring and media analysis, answers in the report “Covering the Debate on Racism in Norwegian Media, 1 May 2020 – 31 August 2020”, commissioned by Fritt Ord.

The full report can be downloaded here: Rasismedebatten i norske medier 2020

Based on an analysis of more than 2400 news items, debate posts, editorials and commentaries, the report takes an in-depth look at the coverage of racism, George Floyd and Black Lives Matter in Norwegian national and regional media, as well as in a selection of alternative media.

Besides documenting a substantial increase in the coverage of racism, the analysis also reveals a clear personification of the debate. Further, it shows how the press itself constitutes a significant group of stakeholders in the debate on racism by virtue of a large number of editorials and commentaries.

The report will be presented by Ane Kathrine Strand, assistant head of analysis at Retriever, and Malene Augestad, media analyst at Retriever.

The launch will be moderated by Yohan Shanmugaratnam, author of “We’re still breathing” and foreign correspondent for Klassekampen.

The seminar will be live-streamed on Fritt Ord’s website and Facebook page. Physical participation by invitation only.

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