It appears that soon only niche newspapers will prioritise cultural content in Norway. Are the once-busy culture departments on the verge of disappearing? asks Leif Ove Larsen.
Art and culture are vital to both a thriving society and fulfilling lives. They are also recognised as “an essential part of the democratic infrastructure “, as highlighted in the parliamentary report Kunstnerkår (2022–2023). Such lofty language about art and culture frequently appears in public documents, underscoring the legitimacy of cultural policy. Surveys from SSB reveal that Norwegians are avid consumers of cultural and media content. We spend several hours each day engaging with various media.
Given this backdrop, one might expect culture to be a prominent topic in the Norwegian media. However, this is not always the case. Alongside frequent proclamations about the societal importance of culture, we often encounter concerned reports about cuts in media coverage of art and culture. Actors in the cultural sector express frustration over the lack of interest from editors and reviewers, while academics typically argue that the media fails in its role of contributing to public discourse on art. Some even believe journalism on art and culture is a fundamental part of the media’s societal mission.
Some even believe journalism on art and culture is a fundamental part of the media’s societal mission.
In our recently published study, “The Invisible Cultural Journalism” (Norwegian: Den usynlige kulturjournalistikken), Vilde Ellingsberg and I analyse the trends in cultural coverage across national and regional Norwegian media as they transition from print to digital-first strategies. We also investigate the evolution of cultural editorial offices and include insights from interviews with cultural editors.
The study reveals three key findings: First, the number of cultural reviews in the press has significantly decreased compared to 15-20 years ago. Second, media outlets now prioritise content differently, both in terms of genre and geography. Third, many media houses have closed or merged their cultural newsroom, making the role of cultural editor increasingly rare in Norwegian journalism. Our survey of the seventeen largest news outlets shows that only ten have a cultural editor, with just three based outside Oslo.
The evolution of cultural coverage is closely linked to the shift towards digital publishing and the new media economy, driven by detailed analyses of reader behaviour. Cultural journalism has faced challenges adapting to digital platforms and changing reading habits, influencing how media organisations prioritise this content. Analysts have noted that cultural articles, particularly reviews, attract relatively few clicks, low reader engagement, and limited new subscriptions. Consequently, this type of journalism has been deprioritized by many news outlets.
Yes, there has been a significant decline in the number of cultural articles in Norwegian national and regional media. An analysis of six leading national and regional newspapers with dedicated culture sections reveals that the number of articles was halved from 2008 to 2023. In 2008, these newspapers collectively published over 600 cultural articles per week. Fifteen years later, that number fell to under 250. Despite this sharp reduction, newspapers allocated as much space to cultural content in 2023 as they did in 2008. Many smaller articles from the cultural sector have been replaced by fewer, but more substantial, well-researched, and illustrated pieces.
Yes, there has been a significant decline in the number of cultural articles in Norwegian national and regional media.
The decline affects all genres, but most notably the shorter pieces and notices, which have nearly disappeared from cultural journalism. The traditional genre of cultural journalism – reviews – has also decreased by over 60 per cent. This reduction in reviews spans all cultural areas but is relatively greatest for popular music and film. The decrease is least pronounced in literary criticism, which still holds a strong position in culture sections.
The decline in cultural criticism is not uniform. Niche publications like Klassekampen and the weekly Morgenbladet have notably increased their focus on reviews. Over the past fifteen years, the number of reviews in these two newspapers grew by 60-70 per cent. In the sample week of our study, Klassekampen accounted for 37 per cent of the reviews among the six newspapers. Additionally, these newspapers offer the greatest genre diversity, including commentary, idea pieces, and cultural debates.
The trend reflects a growing “nichification” of cultural criticism: Aesthetic and analytical cultural criticism is diminishing in mainstream media but is gaining strength in more specialised publications targeting readers with high cultural capital. While the Internet is rife with ranking lists and reader-generated taste judgments, professional criticism – demanding rigorous argumentation and analysis – is increasingly catering to an audience with advanced cultural and academic backgrounds. The success of the digitally-born cultural newspaper Subjekt (with 4,200 subscribers), which brands itself as “the country’s leading cultural newspaper and your best friend in questions of good taste”, alongside the cultural initiatives of the weekly newspapers Morgenbladet and Dag og Tid, underscores the view of cultural journalism as an increasingly niche phenomenon.
The trend reflects a growing “nichification” of cultural criticism: Aesthetic and analytical cultural criticism is diminishing in mainstream media but is gaining strength in more specialized publications targeting readers with high cultural capital.
Another outcome of the strategic and restructuring efforts in the commercial press during the 2010s is a shift towards locally focused news coverage in the cultural sector. Regional newspapers now allocate resources exclusively to cultural events within their own areas.
Concurrently, there has been a professionalisation of cultural journalism. Historically, cultural journalism has been marked by close relationships between journalists and their sources, often leading journalists to see themselves as part of the cultural sphere. The modern cultural journalist is expected to prioritise journalistic professionalism, adhering to a professional ideology where critical and investigative journalism holds the highest status. Articles should not merely serve as a “microphone stand” for the cultural sector. Today, critical cultural journalism is a core principle in most cultural newsrooms.
The news orientation must be seen in the light of competition for visibility on the digital front page of newspapers. While cultural content still occupies dedicated sections in some print and digital newspapers, it must justify its presence on digital platforms by achieving front-page visibility. To succeed here, cultural content must meet general news criteria and be assessed based on reader engagement and subscription metrics. Years of trial and error have shown culture editors in regional newspapers that to achieve prominence on the front page, cultural content must have a clear news angle (preferably an exclusive), be locally relevant, feature compelling images, and have a striking headline. Consequently, this approach favours fewer high-impact stories over the many smaller pieces typical of traditional print culture sections.
While cultural content still occupies dedicated sections in some print and digital newspapers, it must justify its presence on digital platforms by achieving front-page visibility.
What is the current state of the culture departments in the country’s media houses? The two major national tabloids no longer maintain dedicated culture sections or separate culture departments. VG has focused on celebrity news and popular culture under the heading “Rampelys” [“Spotlight”] since the 1980s, while Dagbladet‘s culture department has been progressively dismantled over the past decade. Notably, this was a department that, 25 years ago, reportedly had to split its morning meeting into two sessions to accommodate all its staff members.
Regional newspapers have also experienced significant downsizing in their culture departments. Media houses such as Bergens Tidende and Adresseavisen have seen their culture teams shrink from 12–15 journalists to 4–6 over the past fifteen to twenty years. Current departments are often staffed by journalists primarily focused on news, working closely with the news desk. In Schibsted’s newspapers, culture has been integrated with city pages, combining coverage of culture, city news, and restaurant reviews under the same editorial team. The Vink initiative at Aftenposten is a notable example of this trend. Consequently, Aftenposten now boasts the largest culture department among regional newspapers, with 12-13 journalists and 25-30 freelancers.
In today’s culture newsrooms, it is uncommon for journalists to also serve as critics; most critics are now freelancers. Exceptions include NRK, which maintains a dedicated team of critics across various art forms.
Our survey of 17 leading news media outlets, both regional and national, including NRK, reveals that approximately 140 full-time journalists are responsible for culture. Additionally, these editorial teams report employing around 225 freelancers who regularly contribute reviews and commentary. Only ten media houses have a designated culture editor, with three of these positions located outside Oslo (in Bergen, Ålesund, and Kristiansand).
The geography of cultural journalism reveals that Norwegian culture journalists are predominantly based in Oslo. Indeed, Norwegian cultural journalism is largely an Oslo-centric phenomenon. Only 20 of the 140 (14%) work in editorial offices located outside the capital. This means that 120 of the country’s culture journalists are employed by Oslo-based editorial offices (and likely reside in Oslo), while five to six journalists cover cultural affairs in cities such as Trondheim, Bergen, and Stavanger. Tromsø (the newspaper Nordlys) reports allocating one full-time position to cultural coverage.
The geography of cultural journalism reveals that Norwegian culture journalists are predominantly based in Oslo. Indeed, Norwegian cultural journalism is largely an Oslo-centric phenomenon.
NRK occupies a unique position in this landscape. Approximately 50 per cent of all Norwegian culture journalists are employed by the national broadcaster. In addition to 70 journalists producing cultural content for radio, TV, and the web, about 20 freelance critics are affiliated with NRK. All 70 journalists are part of the culture department at Marienlyst. NRK does not have any staff dedicated to culture at its regional offices.
Klassekampen and Morgenbladet have both strengthened their culture departments. Both have increased their staff from 7-8 to 10-12 culture journalists in recent years. Cultural content plays a central role in their journalistic profiles. Both newspapers rank among the top recipients of press support, with 40 and 22 million Norwegian kroner, respectively, in 2023.
Considering that NRK is financed through the national budget and that cultural journalism and dissemination are integral to its politically mandated public service remit, it can be concluded that most culture journalists in Norway work for media organisations with significant public funding.
Most commercial media still feature cultural content as part of their overall mix, but this has been significantly reduced compared to fifteen or twenty years ago. If we consider that a broadly oriented cultural journalism (in terms of genre, themes, and geography) is crucial for the vitality of the cultural public sphere, it indicates that continued generous media support is essential.
This op-ed was originally written in Norwegian and featured in Klassekampen.
Translated by Anna Pacholczyk.
Illustration: Adobe Stock
Cultural Journalism in the Nordic Countries
Cultural journalism matters, and its significance varies by location. This book highlights the long-overlooked stylistic and geographic diversity in Nordic cultural journalism, offering studies that prompt reflection on journalism globally.
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