1 - Norway

Norway has a dynamic media market, marked by companies with great editorial independence. There are 230 media outlets in the country, but it is the public broadcaster NRK that dominates the audiovisual market, followed by the commercial channel TV2.

The online media market has been growing in recent years, especially the more radical opinion sector. The online version of the VG newspaper is the most read.

The Constitution of Norway defends Freedom of Expression and the right to public information as guarantees, which are also protected by several other laws. The media industry has a common code of ethics.

The political environment is quite favourable for the Norwegian media, without politicians interfering in the editorial boards of public bodies. However, the government's extensive collection of communications data poses a potential risk to the protection of journalistic sources.

The Norwegian Media Authority collects, classifies and publishes data on the owners of media groups. Competition regulatory bodies, in turn, protect pluralism in terms of ownership. The “zero VAT” policy applied to the media contributes to maintaining quality and pluralism.

In general, society and the State encourage independent journalism and the debate of ideas.

Overall, journalists work in a safe environment, with only a few exceptional cases of physical violence, but threats are common.