The knowledge base Medienorge did not receive funding in the state budget of 2023. Now, three Norwegian foundations are joining forces to finance operations until the end of the year.
Medienorge is a public information centre whose objective is to make Norwegian media statistics available and to document trends and media development. In the national budget for 2023, Medienorge’s financial support was cut: It was outlined that Medienorge’s tasks will be added to the Norwegian Media Authority.
Since this decision, there has been public statements both supporting Medienorge as well as questioning the extent of the Norwegian Media Authority’s responsibilities and tasks, both from the leader of the Norwegian Media Research Association and in a joint statement from the media industry.
Now, the Norwegian foundations Tinius, Fritt Ord, and Amedia are joining forces to ensure the funding of Medienorge until the end of 2023. The temporary financing consists of a total of NOK 2 million.
The major task of securing good public media statistics from an independent source, as Medienorge at the University of Bergen does, has a completely unique intrinsic value. Independent information gathering and presentation of changing media use is more important than ever, and it cannot be solved by the state’s own supervision, the Norwegian Media Authority, says Knut Olav Åmås, director of Stiftelsen Fritt Ord, in a press release.
The foundations are contributing to a temporary solution, and they trust that this provides enough time to ensure that long-term funding will be resolved politically.
Picture by Janne F. Lønne, University of Bergen