Seminar on journalists' safety

October 29 2014

The Fritt Ord Foundation, the Norwegian Union of Journalists, Norwegian PEN, the Norwegian Press Association, the Association of Norwegian Editors and the Norwegian UNESCO Commission invite the public to a seminar on journalists’ safety on 29 October from 12.00 -3.30 p.m. at the Fritt Ord Foundation’s premises at Uranienborgveien 2, Oslo.

The occasion is the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists.

On average, one journalist is killed every week. Media employees are also susceptible to violence, threats, harassment, unlawful detention and kidnappings. Very few attacks on journalists are ever investigated and the perpetrators generally go free. This impunity contributes to self-censorship, depriving the public of important information.

The seminar is open to everyone, and there is no registration.

Attacks on journalists are attacks on freedom of expression. Enabling journalists and media employees to do their jobs without risking their own lives is a prerequisite for democracy. Journalists’ safety and freedom of the press are important fields for the UN, and UNESCO plays a special role. Every time a journalist is killed, the Director General of UNESCO issues a letter of censure. The murders are also listed on this website.

News

Call for nominations: Free Media Awards 2025

March 14 2025

In collaboration with the ZEIT STIFTUNG BUCERIUS of Hamburg, the Fritt Ord Foundation has allocated the Free Media Awards annually since 2004 to Eastern European journalists and media that defy every obstacle to tirelessly ensure independent press coverage. Russia’s war against Ukraine and the subsequent wave of disinformation clearly demonstrates the need for independent reporting in the region. Journalist, editorial teams and media companies in and from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Russia, Ukraine and Hungary who make a contribution to press freedom through their investigative, independent reporting can be nominated for the Free Media Awards.

Civitates' Tech & Democracy open call

March 6 2025

Civitates – The European Democracy Fund is a pooled philanthropic fund that was set up in 2018 for the sole purpose of addressing democratic decline and closing civic space in Europe. The case for confronting these threats is growing increasingly urgent. Fritt Ord Foundation is one of the initiators and partners of Civitates.

Civitates has launched its Tech and Democracy open call to support organisations working to ensure safer, more inclusive online spaces (social media platforms, search engines etc.) by improving the enforcement of EU tech regulations at the national level.

This open call offers a unique opportunity to strengthen civil society’s role in holding the tech sector accountable, with a focus on key EU regulations such as the Digital Services Act, GDPR, AI Act or the European Media Freedom Act to name a few.

Norwegians increasingly more positive to computer games

March 5 2025

Norwegians are increasingly more positive to accepting computer games as culture

About 17 per cent have developed a more favourable view of computer games over the past year. Six of ten play computer games, and one of three plays computer games weekly. At the same time, computer games are ranked as having lower status than books and music, for example.
“Computer games deserve more attention and discussion”, contends Joakim Lie of Fritt Ord.

– Computer games are also art

March 4 2025

“The problem with far too many media reports about computer games is that they start begin with sentences like: ‘computer games have come a long way since Pac-Man’,” sighs American computer game critic Jacob Geller.

“Let us first simply agree that computer games are indeed an art form and an expression of culture, and then let us examine the works as part of the history of art and culture.