After three decades of documenting media trends in Norway, the information centre in Bergen ceases operations due to financial constraints. “Very disappointing”, says the project leader Nina Bjørnstad.
Medianorway has been diligently collecting and disseminating media statistics since 1994. Anchored at the University of Bergen in Norway, the information centre actively collaborated with Nordicom on Nordic statistical initiatives.
Regrettably, the 2023 Norwegian national budget outlined the cessation of funding for Medianorway. Critical of the decision of the Norwegian government were, among others, the Norwegian professors Marika Lüders and Leif Ove Larsen.
In response to the funding cut, a temporary year-long lifeline for Medianorway emerged through the collective efforts of the Tinius Trust, the Fritt Ord Foundation, and Amedia. This provided Medianorway with an additional year to persuade the Norwegian government of the value of their comprehensive information services – an endeavour that unfortunately didn’t yield the desired outcome.
– The shutdown implies a loss of a key group of professionals with expertise in Norwegian media and statistics, says Nina Bjørnstad, the project leader at Medianorway.
– The work at Medianorway has been crucial in upholding the quality of Norwegian media statistics, as errors are more common than one might assume. The discontinuation also weakens collaborative efforts in the Nordic region, as Medianorway has been a partner of Nordicom since the beginning. It’s disappointing that the Ministry of Culture doesn’t recognise the value of such a comprehensive information source that has been accessible to all of Norway,
Medianorway’s website will remain accessible until the end of January.
Photo: Irene Heggstad, UiB