Nordnorsk debatt - en analyse av publikums deltakelse

This chapter presents a study of how the regional newspaper Nordlys facilitates a regional public debate in the northern part of Norway. In 2014, Nordlys launched Nordnorsk debatt, an innovative development of the traditional Letters to the editor, offering new possibilities for audiences to comment and participate in regional public debates online. Our research question is: What characterises the public’s participation in the Nordnorsk debatt and how does this online arena contribute to participation and creation of opinion in a regional public sphere? The presentation is based on a study of 883 opinion pieces posted on this website by the audiences in January, February, and March in 2017 and 2018. In this chapter, we analyse the individuals who access Nordnorsk debatt: their identity, their role and formal position, and the issues in which they engage. We also discuss how this access might contribute to dialogue and debate in the regional public sphere. We find increasing engagement over the two years and that a variety of issues are brought into public discussion. Although the debate forum has a broad scope of participants, the analyses suggest that it is primarily a forum for the elites in and around the city of Tromsø.