Governmental Commission on Freedom of Expression

The Commission will discuss the social, technological, legal and financial framework for freedom of expression in today's society. The basic legal protection of freedom of expression in the Norwegian Constitution was revised in 2004 and is itself not part of the Commission's mandate. Instead, the Commission will assess how the conditions for exercising the right to expression and information in practice have changed. In particular, digitization of the media and communication sectors have drastically altered both the production, distribution and consumption of content and services. This has i.a. weakened the gatekeeping role of traditional editors and editor controlled journalistic media. At the same time, consumers have taken on new roles as content producers and publishers, without having the experience or established professional and ethical standards which guide traditional journalism. At the same time, global platforms and social media algorithms greatly affect which content and expressions the consumers are subjected to. There are also rising concerns about hate speech and disinformation as well as threats and harassment against journalists, politicians, academics and other participants in the public discourse.