Journalism & Media International Center
Elisabeth Eide gave a keynote at a conference with the above title at the University of Utrecht, Holland. She presented elements of the history of media coverage of Muslim women in Norway, and a very recent study on the media coverage of “The Shameless Girls” – a new network of young women challenging honour and shame cultures.
Henry Maina in Article 19 during the workshop on access to information as a journalistic tool in Nairobi
Norwegian investigative journalist Tarjei Leer-Salvesen at the workshop on access to information as a journalistic tool in NairobiTogether with Article 19 Eastern Africa, JMIC has organized a workshop on access to information as a journalistic tool in Nairobi for 30 investigative journalists from the region.
The workshop is a follow-up of a similar workshop last year, by the Norwegian investigative journalist Tarjei Leer-Salvesen. This time also his colleague Maren Sæbø has joined.
Similar workshops are planned in North Africa and South Asia later this year together with the local Article 19 offices – with funding from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Access to information is part of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (16.10). It is also one of the main pillars of the Norwegian strategy for freedom of expression and independent media in foreign and development policy.
JMIC received a two-year grant from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs this summer to “help strengthen the democratic public through collaboration with good institutions in the global South which educate journalists.” The grant provides opportunities to continue the longstanding cooperation with partners in the south worldwide.
They are produced as a part of the the Council of Europe/European Union Joint project on “Freedom of expression and media freedom in Azerbaijan”, which is part of the Partnership for Good Governance for Eastern Partnership countries.
Together with the Azerbaijani colleagues Ibrahimpasha Babayev, Aynur Bashirov and Aliakhbar Muradov, Jon Petter Evensen from the Photojournalism program at HiOA has written the Photojournalism textbook Fotojournalistika. Read More
Rune Ottosen to the right, Besnik Baka in the middle and Richard van der Brink to the left – with the new Albania book on the table.
As a former tourist in the country, Ottosen talked about his blindness for oppression. Together with Besnik Baka, an Albanian journalist and translator, he has documented oppression, political assassinations and imprisonment during the regime of Enver Hoxha.
Meanwhile is one of two Norwegian exhibitions on display during the 7th Dali International Photography Exhibition (DIPE).
The HiOA photojournalism alumnis Knut Egil Wang and Eivind Natvig are part of a joint Norwegian exhibition with colleague Helge Skodvin.
HiOA faculty member Jon Petter Evensen participated in this year’s DIPE-forum round table discussion on how to use festivals as a platform to support and develop education in photography, together with the HiOA partners Shahidul Alam from Pathshala South Asian Media Institute in Bangladesh and Liui Bao from Mino Art Center in China.
The Meanwhile exhibition on display in Dali
Head of the DIPE organizing committee Lihui Bao in the exhibition hall in Dali
The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has given JMIC a grant that will enable us to continue the activities with partners in the Global South planned for the next two years.
JMIC´s aim is to build institutions for democracy and freedom of expression: ”Support of good practices in journalist education, independent media in vulnerable countries, protection of journalists working in conflict zones and journalists’ access to information. ”
In the coming year, several activities are planned. A workshop on extremism and social media is planned this autumn in Tunisia – as well as a regional security course next year. A regional security course is also planned in Uganda.
In cooperation with the Article 19 offices in North Africa, Eastern Africa and South Asia regional workshops on access to information are planned in Tunisia, Kenya and Nepal. We will also strengthen the cooperation with UNESCO.
The Rig on press freedom will be introduced in Palestine, a conference on gender and media is scheduled in South Asia, and cooperation will continue in Iran and Afghanistan. Besides, a regional cooperation project on visual journalism in China will continue. Development of teaching material is an ongoing activity, and a web portal will be prioritized.
Please remember to subscribe to our newsletter to learn more about upcoming events and activites of the center.
AJ Gani´s exhibition in Tøihuset, Old Town, Fredrikstad.
During this year’s DOK17 the graduating students in photojournalism launched their book and exhibition “Meanwhile” consisting of visual stories from China. Several HiOA photojournalism alumnis were present both as participant in the festivals seminar program and as exhibiting photographers. Farzana Hossen, visual artist from Bangladesh and former participants in the HiOA´s photojournalism bachelors course, international reporting, showed her project “Only Because They are Women” on Bangladeshi victims of acid attacks in an open-air exhibition outside the Cultural House in the Old Town. Close by in Tøihuset the Bangladeshi photographer AJ Ghani displayed his project “Statless Untouchable” about the Dalits cast in Nepal post 2015 earthquake. Yan Cong from China exhibiting her work “The price of happiness” Commercially arranged marriage between Chinese men and Cambodian women is not uncommon in a village called Huanggang in south China. Both projects supported by the Fritt Ord-foundation student grant.
The DOK-festival in Fredrikstad, Norway, is the Norwegian national festival for documentary photography and photojournalism. The festival is an event that gathers professionals, students, lecturers and general public mainly from Scandinavia. During the two week long festival-period 8 – 10 open air Exhibitions are on display throughout the city centre and in Fredrikstad´s Old Town. In addition to exhibitions in pop-up-galleries and the exhibition hall Hydrogenfabrikken. During the weekend 150 – 200 participants gathered to join seminars and lectures with international recognized photojournalists and visual storytellers in the House of Literature. This year’s line-up consisted of Damon Winter (the New York Times), Peter van Agtmael (Magnum Photos), Jonas Bendiksen (Magnum Photos), Luisa Dörr (VII), Joakim Eskildsen, Glenna Gordon, Espen Rasmussen and Warren Richardsson (Worl Press Photo winner 2016). The festival is organized by the DOK-foundation and hosted by Pressefotografenes klubb Norge (NPPA Norway). The HiOA faculty member Jon Petter Evensen is head of the DOK-festival organizing committee. Read more. 
The Rig is a multimedia workshop where the students produce online stories about the current state of press freedom in different countries around the world. This year they examined Ethiopia, Egypt, Tunisia, Afghanistan, Colombia, USA and Poland.
The aim of the Rig is to enable our students to grasp the meaning and significance of press freedom, while at the same time acquiring journalistic skills. Read more in Norwegian about the Rig and why we use this pedagogical tool at Department of Journalism and Media Studies at HiOA here.
The frontpage for this year’s Rig you will find here.
Some of earlier years’ Rig are available here.
JMIC’s leader Elisabeth Eide, recently gave the lecture «Global citizenship» at the European Council Association of Schools of Political Studies. The large conference, gathering many people from Russia and other Eastern European countries, was vibrant with lively discussions and intriguing questions. A wonderful experience.
JMIC’s leader Elisabeth Eide
Stockholm, 25 – 29 April 2017
Media researchers Rune Ottosen, Walid Al-Saqaf and Stig Arne Nohrstedt at the conference in Kalmar 9 May
The truck attack in Stockholm 7 April was the starting point at the international conference Journalism in a world of terrorism organised by the Media Institute Fojo and The Linnaeus University in Kalmar in Sweden 9 – 11 May.
The Head of news in Swedish Television (SVT), Ulf Johansson, told about the reactions and the editorial dilemmas after the attack. Media researcher Walid Al-Saqaf presented the findings about how Twitter was used extensively through #openstockholm.
Suvojit Bandopadhyaya broadened the perspective with a presentation about terrorists and their tactical use of social media platforms. Daya Thussu held a keynote speech about (Mis)Representing Terrorism in Global Media.
Exiled Can Dündar, former editor of the Turkish newspaper Cumhuriyet, could unfortunately only join on skype to tell about what happens in his country. Finally Courtney C. Radsh in the Committee to Protect Journalists gave an overview of Journalism in the Age of Terrorism.
The international conference for media-researchers and journalists continued with workshops and panel discussions for two more days in Kalmar. Read more
