In 2019, Fritt Ord partnered with the Norwegian Union of Journalists’ Freelance Club (NJ Frilans) and the Norwegian Press Photographers’ Club, together with the journalism programs at OsloMet and Nord University, to map out freelancers’ challenges and roles. In total, two surveys on working conditions (2019) and one quantitative content analysis (2025) have been conducted. The working conditions surveys were carried out by media researchers Birgit Røe Mathisen at Nord University and Anders Graver Knudsen at OsloMet.

Now, the findings have been compiled and published in a book, “The Freelance Journalist – Free and Vulnerable.” The book was launched at Pressens Hus on Thursday, October 16.
The book follows up on the results of the first freelance survey, which was presented at a national conference on freelance journalism hosted by Fritt Ord in September 2019.
– “We have had little research-based knowledge about freelancers’ working conditions. These studies represent the most comprehensive mapping of freelance journalists’ situation in Norway,” says Graver Knudsen.
This includes factors such as pay and fees, relationships with clients, and ethical dilemmas.

– “The main conclusion is that the freelance surveys confirm and document what we have previously only assumed,” the authors say.
“The big picture is that Norway, compared with other countries, has fewer freelancers and mostly permanently employed journalists. But the exception is photographers and critics — most of them are freelancers. As the title suggests, that can make them vulnerable,” says Knudsen.

The Role of Freelancers Is Important
Fritt Ord has long regarded media and journalism as one of its core areas.
– “I’m glad this knowledge has been gathered in a book. For us, it’s important to help strengthen Norwegian journalism, and freelancers have been — and continue to be — a key group to support. Freelancers often cover topics that other journalists overlook or don’t prioritize, and we emphasize supporting projects that are particularly resource-intensive. Each year, we also award major grants to critics — currently 12 grants of NOK 250,000 each,” says Knut Olav Åmås, Executive Director of Fritt Ord.

New Study Analyzes the Share of Journalism Produced by Freelancers
On Friday, October 17, a final report in the series of freelance studies — independent of the book — was presented at NJ Frilans’ annual meeting at the House of Literature (Litteraturhuset). The report, “How Large Is the Freelancers’ Contribution in Norwegian Media? A Quantitative Analysis of Articles Published 2017–2023,” is database-based and authored by Anders Graver Knudsen and Ola Huse Ramstad.
You can read the report here:
2025 Rapport Frilansernes andel av det norske mediebildet

Key findings from the report:

1. Freelancers produce 2–3 percent of all journalism overall
2. Freelancers have a larger share in the trade press — 13 percent
3. The “others” category is surprisingly large: Retired journalists produce 6 percent of journalism, and journalism students 1 percent

The findings were presented at NJ Frilans’ annual meeting and discussed in a panel on Friday with Fritt Ord’s Knut Olav Åmås, researcher Birgit Røe Mathisen, and NJ Frilans chair Audun Hasvik, along with representatives from the trade press, daily press, and NJ’s political leadership.

The Retirees
“One of the surprises in this report is the large share of published work produced by retired journalists,” says Trond Idås from NJ. He worries that the freelancers’ market is being squeezed from all sides — making it harder to receive fair pay.
“We haven’t examined why this is happening, but it’s natural to see it in connection with the rounds of more or less voluntary early retirements at age 62. One consequence seems to be that several fully capable early retirees continue their journalism careers on an assignment basis. As a union, we must look more closely at whether these retirees are undermining the market for both permanent employees and freelancers, since they can take on assignments at low rates due to having a pension as financial security. A natural step would be to encourage these members to base their rates on NJ Frilans’ minimum standards when accepting assignments.”

Surprisingly Low Percentage
Idås is surprised by the relatively low share of freelance-produced content.
“At first glance, it’s surprising that the share of freelance content is as low as 2–3 percent of the analyzed articles.”
However, the study also shows that freelancers account for a significant share of the content published in the trade press and niche media. Considering that freelancers make up less than 10 percent of NJ’s members, it’s not all that surprising that they produce such a small share of the total amount of published journalism.