The international certificate course “Truthful Reporting: Even When It Hurts” for journalism students continues by the public organization “Student Journalism Platform” in partnership with Volodymyr Dahl East Ukrainian National University.
On April 18, a lecture on “Ukraine, Russian propaganda, and Norwegian media” took place. This time the speaker was Bjоrn Johan Berger, a Norwegian blogger, a member of the Board of the Norwegian-Ukrainian Friendship Society, and a freelance author for several Norwegian newspapers and magazines. Bjоrn introduced students to the mood in Norway, characterizing it as “deep historical calm” and “naivety.” At the same time, he noted that the younger generation of Norwegians demonstrates a high level of media literacy.
The lecturer also described the general state of Norwegian media, which adhere to high ethical and professional standards but do not provide enough information about the war in Ukraine.
As a public activist and author, Bjоrn specializes in exposing the fakes of Russian propaganda. Therefore, he focused mainly on describing how this propaganda apparatus works, as well as on specific cases when Russian “journalists” tried to deceive the Norwegian audience.
As a characteristic problem common to media in all countries, the lecturer noted the tendency of Norwegian media professionals towards provocative, “clickable” headlines.
“Russia hammers with propaganda as if with a hammer, but we must resist to not lose democracy,” summed up the Norwegian.
It is worth reminding that the meeting, like all previous ones, took place in an online format on the ZOOM platform. At the end of the lecture, students had the opportunity to ask questions and thank the guest for his unwavering and devoted defense of Ukraine’s interests in Norway.
