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Letter in protest of Thomas Nilsen's firing

As former interns at BarentsObserver and alumni of the High North Journalism Award offered by the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Canada, we a

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As former interns at BarentsObserver and alumni of the High North Journalism Award offered by the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Canada, we are writing to protest the firing of BarentsObserver editor Thomas Nilsen. We find this decision deeply troubling. 

Nilsen had asked the Norwegian Barents Secretariat, which owns BarentsObserver, for editorial independence. That independence is a basic right that all press should be afforded. Instead of acquiescing, the Secretariat’s owners retaliated, saying Nilsen had acted “disloyally”. We reject this characterization; as an editor, Nilsen’s loyalties lie with his readers. 

The Norwegian Declaration of the Rights and Duties of the Editor states the following: 

An editor is expected to share the fundamental views and aims of his/her publication. But within this framework the editor is entitled to a free and independent leadership of the editorial department and editorial work and full freedom to shape the opinions of the paper even if they in single matters are not shared by the publisher or the board.

These principles are the baseline for what journalists need to do their jobs with independence and integrity. The decision to rebuff the attempts of Nilsen and the BarentsObserver staff to gain independence – and to retaliate by firing Nilsen – damages the publication’s credibility as a highly regarded source for cross-border Arctic news. 

As professional journalists who care sincerely about northern affairs, we urge you to discuss the matter of Nilsen’s firing and the editorial independence of BarentsObserver with the publication and its owners. With the Secretariat’s funding dependent on your support, you are in a position to protect BarentsObserver’s ability to responsibly cover the North. 

James Thomson, 2014
Maura Forrest, 2015
Samia Madwar, 2011
Heather Yundt, 2012
Catherine Benesch, 2012
Emma Jarratt, 2014
Lily Haines, 2015

 

This letter was sent to the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Canada, adressed to Her Excellency Mona Elisabeth Brøther.