On Monday, 7th of September, at 19:00, our next major seminar will take place in Fredrikstad. The program for the disinformation seminar is now complete:
Speakers will include researcher Carl Heath from Sweden (RISE and the University of Gothenburg). He developed the educational materials on influence and disinformation for the Swedish Psychological Defence Agency.
The following speakers from Norway will address disinformation and influence: Paul M. H. Buvarp, Senior Researcher at the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI); Andreas Skjøld-Lorange, Head of Section at the Norwegian National Security Authority; Runa Victoria Engen, Editor at Faktisk.no; and Bjørn Johan Berger, a volunteer working on political disinformation from Russia.
The seminar will also include a section on how the media distinguish between disinformation and facts. How can civilians learn from the methods used by the media? Secretary General Thibaut Bruttin of Reporters Without Borders, Editor Runa Victoria Engen of Faktisk.no, and Jessikka Aro, a well-known investigative journalist from Finland, will contribute to this section.
There will also be a section on infiltration of civil society. How can we make civil society resilient against all types of influence? What if disinformation comes not only from the internet, but also from inside an organisation? And what about espionage targeting civil society, not just classified information? Taking part are Øystein Bogen, former foreign affairs crrespondent for TV2; Katya Kize, assistant director of the Oscar-winning «Mr. Nobody Against Putin»; and Kari Liuhto, Finnish professor of intelligence. Bogen participates via video interview. We will also screen relevant clips from well-known films about infiltration and discuss the issue with our Norwegian and Swedish experts Paul Buvarp, Carl Heath and Andreas Skjøld-Lorange. Aftonbladet’s recent infiltration of the Swedish prime minister’s inner circle will also be discussed.
Part of the seminar will focus on psychological resilience among civilians, with contributions from Geir Jordet of the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences and Unni Marie Heltne of the Center for Crisis Psychology at the University of Bergen. Carl Heath from Sweden will also contribute to this section. We will address how people can learn techniques for performing under stress, and how disinformation and influence can be discussed in a psychologically sustainable way.
The seminar will be inspired by the style of Dagsrevyen, with somewhat shorter presentations combined with interviews and expert debates.
The program is being put together by Editor-in-Chief Anna Blechingberg of FTU and Managing Director Roy Conradi Andersen of the House of Literature in Fredrikstad.