This autumn, Aftenposten hired Ørjan Ryland to lead a new video team and develop a strategy focused on video.
“Video is a powerful medium that enriches newspapers with life and emotions. The most important thing is that it can provide strong visual evidence in the news battle: What happened, how something was said. I think no one would have understood how absurd American politics is without seeing Trump and Harris in action. Siv Jensen’s ‘Morna Jens’ speech would never have been such a big deal if it had only been conveyed through text.”
In addition to Ryland, who has 6.5 years of experience at Dagbladet, Aftenposten has recruited people from VGTV, Dagbladet TV, and one from another department within Aftenposten. In total, there are five people now working specifically with video for the editorial team. Ryland explains that the goal is to spread video competence throughout the entire Aftenposten newsroom, so that everyone can use the format.
“The strategy isn’t fully in place yet. It’s my job to figure it out over time. It’s a big step to have a dedicated video lead, which is the role I’ve been hired for. They haven’t had that in many years. We’re going to think visually, whether it’s international news, political, or breaking news. The goal is for everyone to be able to use video and think in that way.”
A strong brand
Aftenposten has a strong brand in Norway. They are fact-oriented, trustworthy, and are perceived by many as fairly traditional. How will they now balance the brand with content on social media: platforms with fast pace, a playful tone, and an audience that often doesn’t consume news in traditional ways?
“We will always stick to the truth. I am very much for playing with formats and genres without losing the sense of credibility,” says Ryland.
Recently, more video clips have appeared on Aftenposten’s social media channels. At the time of writing, they have 14,200 followers on TikTok. Ryland explains that they are learning a lot by observing what others do on the platform, but they also need to find their own style.
“We need to be a bit like the others to gain attention, but we also have our own things, like behind-the-scenes content to show what we do as journalists.”
One example of this was when viewers were taken along for a day as an Aftenposten journalist covering the princess wedding in Ålesund. Now, video clips are also appearing on TikTok from various editorial teams, sharing publishing decisions and press ethical choices from their own newsroom. This is a way to make the process of journalism more transparent to users, says Ryland.
When Aftenposten chose to identify Marius Borg Høiby in connection with the criminal case against him, Aftenposten had news editor Tone Tveøy Strøm-Gundersen explain the reasoning behind the decision on Aftenposten’s TikTok channel.
“Marius Borg Høiby is a member of the royal family, and the incident that occurred has also had consequences for the rest of the royal family. The burden on both him and the family becomes greater — so this was part of the consideration — but we still concluded that it was right to identify him,” Strøm-Gundersen says in the clip.
In the same clip, Strøm-Gundersen also explains why they are not covering other allegations related to the case. Here, she highlights and explains the “Vær Varsom-plakaten” which is the ethical code of conduct for Norwegian journalists. When Aftenposten later chose to publish excerpts from the phone call Borg Høiby had with his ex-girlfriend after he allegedly assaulted her, the news editor made another appearance on TikTok to explain the decision to publish. In this way, viewers get an insight into how the Aftenposten newsroom works and how they make decisions about publishing. It also gives a sense that the newsroom takes questions and concerns from users seriously — and responds directly with an aim to explain. Ryland believes we will see more of this type of content in the future.
“I strongly believe in being transparent about the decisions we make. As press people, we may think that everyone understands the ethics, but I think that’s a lot to expect. You don’t have to agree with the decisions we make, as long as you hear why those choices were made. We also notice that viewers are engaged by this, both the ethical and editorial choices, as well as how we work ‘backstage.’ I believe understanding and openness create trust,” he says.
TikTok is a platform characterised by constantly changing trends. Is it possible to crack a code to hit these trends every time? Ryland doesn’t think so.
“If someone says they know what works on TikTok, then they haven’t understood the platform. It’s all about good content. We miss the mark too, but we are constantly trying to learn from it. Aftenposten should be a reliable source of news told in an easy way. I believe in good titles and front definitions. It has to be clever at the start without becoming obvious clickbait.”
Instead, Ryland and his team will focus on who they want to be for the young people consuming the video content they create.
“Our goal is to be a good friend or older sister who wants you to stay informed. It should be friendly and easy to understand, not condescending.”
