SETTING THE AGENDA ON ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS IN NORWAY

Abstract

This paper contributes to the understanding of the developing relationships between non-governmental organisations (NGOs), journalists and environmental issues in general, and climate change in particular. It follows 17 Norwegian NGOs over a period of 10 years, evaluating their ability to set the agenda for public debate on environmental issues in Norway, about the types of organisations that have succeeded in setting the agenda in Norwegian print media over the last 10 years. What role does the emergence of climate change as a dominating global environmental issue play in the agenda-setting capacity of Norwegian NGOs? The results do not support earlier findings that highlight an increasing media focus on sensation and identification and a lack of depth and quality. By contrast, the “winners” found in this investigation are generally those organisations that focus on producing knowledge, and not those that focus on supposedly media-friendly activism. The results also stand in contrast to existing literature on the “success” of Greenpeace. Greenpeace and similar organisations found it hard to compete for media attention as the media interest turned from pollution, roads, dams and local issues to the very complex matter of global climate change. These findings are, finally, used to reflect on how journalists employ journalistic norms.