Took responsibility to reach out

The conversation revolved around how the cultural sector can demonstrate the value of art, and how to communicate this to the media and politicians.

The opening speech was given by researcher Vilde Ellingsberg, a doctoral candidate at the Department of Information and Media Studies at the University of Bergen.

With colleague Leif Ove Larsen, she is working on a project investigating the so-called «invisibility crisis» in Norwegian cultural journalism. This refers to how little visible cultural journalism is and what it means for democracy.

The period being analysed covers selected weeks from 2008 to 2023. The results are not public yet, and the data is still uncertain. However, Ellingsberg provided the panel and the audience with an overview of the current situation and preliminary findings.

Among other things, she revealed that in 2022 there were half as many cultural articles published in Norwegian newspapers as in 2008. The number of newspapers with specialised cultural editorial departments is decreasing, and reviews and commentaries are being deprioritized in favour of other news.

– There is one exception, and that is Klassekampen. It is the only newspaper that has increased the number of cultural articles since 2008, says Ellingsberg.

In the 2008 material, the researchers counted 60-80 commentaries in a regular week, while in 2022, it decreased to 10-15. This means a shift from opinion pieces that could generate debate about cultural matters, instead emphasizing short news items and reports.

– This significantly reduces the formation of opinions and opinion journalism related to the cultural field, explains Ellingsberg.

The losers in the researchers' material are art, theatre, performing arts, and «high culture music» such as classical and jazz. The winners are literature, film, television, entertainment, celebrity news, and some popular music genres like rock and pop.

– For example, Dagbladet, a major cultural newspaper for many years, published 130 articles in a regular week in 2008. In a regular week in 2022, they published 39 articles. The same trend applies to smaller newspapers like Bergens Tidende, with 30 articles in 2022 compared to 116 in 2008.

Ellingsberg highlights several reasons for this development.

Firstly, the resources allocated to cultural journalism are being cut. The content is not marketable when considering the number of clicks the articles receive. Both the number of editorial departments and the staff in those departments have been reduced across the country.

Furthermore, the field is subject to a «journalistic transformation.» This means that those who cover the cultural field are increasingly journalism-educated rather than having in-depth knowledge of specific topics.

– We see that they are transitioning from being literature experts, film experts, and so on, to being journalists with a special interest in culture. Communication skills are more important than in-depth knowledge, explains Ellingsberg.

An example of this is when a programme prioritizes the inclusion of an expert for a specific occasion, rather than having an expert as a program host.

The strategies of media houses have also changed. Previously, securing funds for an independent culture section was a given. Now, it is more often a competition with other areas of journalism.

The first panel discussed what it takes to reach out to the media. Participants included Erle Strøm (Marketing Director at HES), Sofie Tollefsbøl (musician and front figure of the band Fieh), and Elisabet Davidsen (Editorial Director of the culture department at NRK).

Tollefsbøl shared her experience of the premise for appearing on major talk shows like Lindmo, emphasizing the need for a heavy, personal story to tell. She finds this problematic.

– It would be nice to be on Lindmo for reasons other than mental health problems or having experienced something tragic. I believe we could find a way to talk about music interestingly without the premise of appearing being something completely irrelevant. It feels a bit disappointing that the music we create is not interesting enough, she expressed from the stage in Drammen.

The next panel discussed what it takes to reach politicians. Participants included Solveig Slettahjell (musician and initiator of the think tank KRAFT), Torbjørn Urfjell (Director of Society and Arena at the Norwegian Cultural Council, former politician in SV), and Emma Lind (Industry Leader for Creative Industries at Virke, former State Secretary in the Ministry of Culture from SP).

Slettahjell explained that this is precisely the foundation of KRAFT.

– I don't think we know enough about political processes. And I think we are too many, with too narrow mandates, to be able to obtain a position. That leads to cacophony instead of gathering knowledge from the entire field and basing our communication on that, said Slettahjell.

Lind agreed, although she cautioned against everyone rallying behind a single message.

– But one should be able to sharpen the message. And perhaps not be so focused on what the problem is, but rather on what the solution is. That's what many politicians want information about, Lind added.

Finally, NMH principal Astrid Kvalbein summarized what she had observed and heard during the last hour. She could identify with several aspects of the issue.

– When I finished at NMH, I was able to make a living by reviewing classical music for the newspaper VG. That was the situation. After that I've been part of the journey Ellingsberg describes, where coverage of cultural topics decreases, said Kvalbein.

In parallel, she explained that a Quality Reform was introduced in the education sector.

– To exaggerate a bit, researchers were rewarded for publishing internationally, in niche journals, to impress their colleagues. Communication was poorly rewarded for a very long time. In my opinion, that has made us somewhat ineffective in reaching the media and better at being in our own forums.

Kvalbein was challenged on why increased societal contact and more explicit expressions from leaders in the education sector are important.

She specifically mentioned the introduction of tuition fees for students from countries outside the EU and EEA, which amount to over 300,000 NOK per year for each student.

– For the arts, this turns out completely wrong. In five years, we may only educate five percent of the students from these areas that we would normally educate. It completely changes who we recruit. That's very serious, Kvalbein expressed from the stage in Drammen.

She shared that NMH and other arts education institutions have tried to convey their perspectives through opinion pieces. But only a few media outlets have shown interest.

– Not NRK, not Aftenposten, not Bergens Tidende, not the commentators in any of the major newspapers. That makes me wonder if the sector I work in has made itself a bit ineffective in reaching the media, and better at staying in our own forums.