“We’re in a fierce battle for young people’s time and trust, competing with global tech giants that have no regard for Norwegian values or our democracy. That’s why we’re opening up all our Norwegian newspapers and giving young people free digital access to essential journalism—right in their pocket. Soon, it will be easier for young people to stay informed about what’s happening and become more engaged in their local communities—both in everyday life and on election day,” says Anders Opdahl, CEO of Amedia, Norway ’s largest publisher of editor-driven media.
Opdahl emphasizes that the initiative wouldn’t be possible without grants from the Amedia Foundation. “Without the foundation’s contribution, neither Amedia nor our newspapers would be able to provide young people with free access to our journalism. The foundation gives us the crucial backing to strengthen and further develop our mission to serve the public interest,” says Opdahl.
Support from the ownership foundation
Amedia will offering everyone between the ages of 15 and 20 free digital access to its more than 100 newspapers, ahead of the September 8 parliamentary election. The access will be launched no later than the start of the school year in August.
“One of the major challenges for editor-driven media is reaching younger generations. The Amedia Foundation’s main focus this year is to support initiatives aimed at younger users. We see free newspaper access for 15–20-year-olds as a concrete, targeted measure to strengthen democracy, public discourse, and the position of journalism,” says André Støylen, CEO of the Amedia Foundation.
The foundation is supporting the initiative with a grant of NOK 4.8 million, in addition to Amedia’s own contribution.
The Amedia Foundation was established in 2016 to own Amedia AS. In 2023, the foundation formed its own board and administration and was given the financial capacity to fund projects related to democracy, freedom of expression, and journalism.
Opening journalism to the next generation
“This national initiative is our response to the constant stream of aggressive noise from global tech giants that our youth are exposed to daily. It’s also our investment in a society built on trust and a stronger shared public sphere across generations,” says Opdahl.
He points to recent findings from the Norwegian Media Survey, presented at the Nordic Media Days, which takes place in Bergen the first week of May.
“Young people aged 16 to 24 have significantly lower trust in editor-driven media than the rest of the population. More than one in four young men report low or no trust. This is serious, and it means we, as media leaders—both individually and together—must do even more to reach this group.”
In 2023, Amedia was the first media company to provide all students in Norwegian schools with free digital access to its newspapers during the municipal elections.
“This year , we’re taking another national step by giving all young people aged 15 to 20 across the country free digital access to our newspapers. The goal is to meet them with fact-checked journalism on their terms and to increase their awareness of journalism’s role in society—building trust. So that more young people make informed decisions, use their voices, and participate in democracy—something that is essential to Norway’s societal development,” says Opdahl.
He adds that while the goal is to make the initiative permanent, it will be evaluated after one year .
Lack of political will
At the same time, Opdahl challenges politicians to ensure a regulatory framework that aligns with current media consumption habits. “If we as an industry are to succeed in reaching younger audiences, the framework must actually reflect how media is used today. When the government removed format neutrality from the V A T exemption in 2023 with a single stroke of the pen, many Norwegian media companies were left with an outdated regulatory framework. This is by far the most critical issue in media policy that needs to be addressed,” says Opdahl.
He notes that more and more politicians are voicing concern over the fact that young people spend increasing amounts of time on social media and less on editor-driven media.
“But concern alone doesn’t count—it’s political will that matters. Without action, politicians are taking a societal risk. The industry needs predictability to develop content in the audio and video formats that young people expect. Over the past few years, we and our newspapers have invested heavily in these formats, but today’s regulations make it difficult to fully commit,” Opdahl says.
The Norwegian Media Authority’s January report “The Financial Framework for Editor-Driven Media – Today and Going Forward” concludes that the current VAT rules represent a societal risk and recommends platform-neutral VAT exemptions to ensure media diversity and support the industry’s public mission.
Press contact:
Helene Wille Lund, communication advisor ,Amedia
Mobil: 984 44 821 E-mail: [email protected]
