Jakobsen will be taking part in an international fellowship programme along with seasoned journalists from all over the world. The Institute will concentrate on further professional development for journalists in practice and in theory, whereby each fellow works on the topic of their choice throughout their stay. Jakobsen will be conducting a study of source use and research-journalists’ strategies in respect of the Norwegian press when covering the debate on the long-term after-effects of Covid-19. The project will examine which editorial approaches can be taken to ensure that critical journalism prevails in today’s heated debates related to research.

Hanne Østli Jakobsen is a research-journalist and head of reportage at Morgenbladet. She also has reporting experience from VG and has worked as a journalist for forskning.no and Radio Nova.

The Fritt Ord Journalism Fellowship is awarded annually to Norwegian journalists who seek further professional development. Fritt Ord covers tuition, travel expenses and a stipend for lodging and cost of living, bringing the total value of the fellowship to roughly NOK 600 000. The next round of applications for the fellowship will be announced in August 2022.