Wants More Cooperation Among Barents Journalists

Why is Putin so popular among Russians? Where is Russia heading? Those are two of the questions Project Manager Anki Gerhardsen of Barents Press Norway brings with her when she takes Norwegian journalists on a course and reporting trip to Russia in a few weeks’ time.

- We are neighbors, though we know too little about each other, says the Project Manager of Barents Press Norway when High North News meets her in her office located at Nordland Research Institute in Bodø, Norway.

From this base, the experienced journalist and critic tailor-makes courses that are meant to increase Norwegian and Russian journalists’ knowledge of each other’s home countries.

In about a month – in the lead-up to the Russian presidential election – she is bringing seven Norwegian journalists to Petrozavodsk and Moscow.

More and better journalism

The goal of the ‘Democracy in Russian’ course is for the participating journalists to learn more about Russian politics society and especially about the everyday life of Russian media.

According to a 2017 report from Human Rigths Watch, the freedom of speech situation in Russia has deteriorated significantly since Putin assumed his third presidential period in 2012.

The course is a part of the Barents Press initiative “On Russia for Norwegian, on Norway for Russians. A course series for Norwegian and Russian journalists.”

The course as well as the reporting trip for the Norwegian journalists is organized in cooperation with Barents Press Russia.

Course participants will meet with politicians and critics, voters, editors, Russian journalists and analysts. Petrozavodsk, the capital of the Russian republic of Karelia, is a city known for its high level of political engagement. During the election, which takes place on 18 March, the group will be in Moscow.

- The goal is increased knowledge, increased insight, as well as more and better journalism related to our eastern neighbor, Gerhardsen summarises.

- More than big politics

- We started this initiative on a smaller scale back in 2014, when we had the first course. Now we produce about three courses annually, she says.

When the Norwegian press, be it printed, online or on TV, reports about Russia, it mainly focuses on President Vladimir Putin and big politics.

- But our neighbor has more inhabitants than just Putin. There are a lot of people who face different challenges, sorrows and joys, the project manager says with enthusiasm. She is passionate about developing a more diverse, knowledge-based and nuanced journalism – on both sides of the border.

The former courses offered by Barents Press have among others focused on providing Norwegian journalists with knowledge of life for the Sami on the Kola peninsula, while Russian journalists have learned more about how Norwegian child care services work.

The latter came into existence following accusations in several foreign media against these services a few years ago.

- Another important goal of these courses is to increase contacts between Norwegian and Russian journalists. Their getting to know each other, forming networks, using each other as professional sparring partners, or helping each other release projects, Gerhardsen says.

- We are also constantly discussing profession-related issues, which contributes to democracy building. That, along with our efforts to improve conditions for the press and freedom of speech, is the whole foundation for Barents Press, she adds.

Must bust myths

Feedback so far, from the many journalists on both sides of the border who have already taken these courses, has been very good.

- We see that Barents Press is more noted on a national level. National press is more interested in what we do and signal increased interest in Russia and our courses. We are, of course, very happy about that, the project manager says.

- Given the political development between Norway and Russia in recent years: Is holding this kind of courses more important today than it was five years ago?

- It has always been important, however, I do believe that it is growing all the more important. The situation in Russia and the relationship between Russia and the West appears to grow increasingly tense. That is why this people-to-people cooperation project, with civil society contacts, is so important. One of the most important aspects of this is preventing the formation of myths, as one of the first things to occur when contact deteriorates is myths starting to grow, Gerhardsen says.

Many and untold stories

- What do you think about the Norwegian covering of events in Russia?

- I do not have sufficient overview to speak definitively on this, however, I do miss the ordinary people in these stories. Of course we should hear the stories about Putin too, however, there is something about getting to know the country without it being only about him and the difficult big political issues, she says, providing the example of the course about the Sami on the Kola peninsula, in Russia’s northernmost corner.

The participating journalists did not only get an insight into how everyday life for this ethnic group is; they also got to see what it is like to live in an area considered one of the areas considered among the richest in Russia when it comes to natural resources.

- How do you experience being in Russia in relation to these courses? Do you, like some other journalists do, experience being watched?

- I consider it quite likely that FSB (Russian security services) knows that we are there. But our arrangements are quite transparent and we have nothing to hide, no secret activities. I assume that they are watching us and they are, of course, free to do so. We behave, she says with a smile.

Pilot project is becoming a book

The project manager says Barents Press also have another project coming up, in cooperation with the journalism programs at Nord University and Northern Arctic Federal University in Arkhangelsk.

- In april, six Russian journalism students from Arkhangelsk come to Bodø to work with six Norwegian journalism students from our programme. We have already started this cooperation in creating teams consisting of one Russian and one Norwegian. The idea is that each of the students should report a story from his or her neighbor country, about people under the age of thirty.

After a first week in Bodø, students will travel together to Arkhangelsk.

- We want to catch the new generations, and the students’ own interests will decide what they want to write about. They are completely free to choose, the project manger says.

The stories reported will constitute the students’ final exam in the course ‘Investigative journalism’ and will also be presented in a book, which will be made available in both Russian and Norwegian.

- Hope it will be a door-opener

Journalism student Øistein Falch is one of the students participating on the week-long course in March. He is also Editor-in-Chief at the Student Media House of the journalism program in Bodø.

- I can hardly wait to go, says the second-year student, who originally comes from Lofoten.

HNN speaks with him while he is visiting Gerhardsen, who is a former lecturer at the journalism program at Nord University in Bodø, in order to organize his visa application for Russia.

- This is most definitely an exciting project. The opportunity to participate in events like this is one of the reasons why I applied for the journalism program in the first place. I hope it will help open doors in the future, says the 21-year old.

It is still possible to register for the course on the Russian election, says Gerhardsen.

- Given how late it is in the process now, only journalists with their papers in order and who are already holding a visa to go to Russia may register. However, if there is any such who really want to do this, they should get in touch.

Facts about Barents Press International (BPI):

BPI is a network for journalists living in or writing about the Barents region.

The network was formed in the early 1990s in order to support and develop journalistic cooperation in the region. Today, it consists of journalists in Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. The BPI regularly organizes various projects, trips and events either on its own or by one of its national divisions.

Barents Press Norway has received support from a variety of institutions, including the Barents Secretariat, Fritt Ord and the UNESCO Commission.