Bente Kalsnes
Biographic Data
| ID | 4208117 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Bente Kalsnes |
| GIVEN NAMES | Bente |
| FAMILY NAME | Kalsnes |
| SIGNATURE | KALSNES B |
| AFFILIATIONS | Høyskolen Kristiania |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-8764-6925 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 20 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 104 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 20 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2014 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 5 |
A brave new democracy: Remarks on the impact of social media, algorithms, and AI on politics and citizenship
Contemporary understandings of democratic citizenship and its role in democracy have evolved over the last few decades, generally in response to periods of societal, political, and communication change. These changes are often connected to challenges associated with globalisation or growing inequality, but also reflect the spread of digital communication technologies, which provide new social and political contexts that call for fresh thinking ab…
‘More than a feeling’ – Facebook reactions and the sharing of political posts during Scandinavian elections
Social media have impacted political communication processes in relation to how information is produced, distributed, and consumed – particularly during elections. Here, we address the role of emotions in Facebook posts by parties and leaders to understand the complex relationship between politics, platforms, emotions, and voters in Scandinavia. Through a quantitative study of Facebook posts from political actors, the study identifies clear conte…
Protecting democracy: Comparing codes of conduct for generative AI use during elections
Flattening the and news: Platformisation the erosion of topical diversity across news outlet types
This article examines how platformisation reshapes topical diversity across news outlet types in Norway. Using Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) topic modelling and diversity indices on more than 220,000 articles from 22 national, regional, local and niche outlets, it compares content published on proprietary websites with that on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. The findings reveal a ‘flattening’ of the news agenda on social media. While distinct…
News media lobbying and the EU’s Digital Services Act: Strategies and experiences from the small non-EU state of Norway
The formation of the Digital Services Act (DSA) in the European Union (EU), aiming to regulate platform power, provided a unique policy window to secure media-specific interests vis-à-vis platforms. This study investigates how Norwegian news media actors utilised the policy window. Drawing on qualitative interviews with 20 elite informants in Norway and the EU, the analysis shows how the Norwegian actors strategised to protect editorial independe…
Navigating Platform Dependency: Four Strategic Approaches for Social Media News Publishing
This article examines how Norwegian newsrooms attempt to secure editorial autonomy while engaging with social media platforms. Drawing on qualitative interviews with 16 newsroom actors and two weeks of field observation, it explores how editorial strategies are enacted through everyday practices. Using a strategy-as-practice perspective, we identify four approaches to social media publishing – the Negotiator, the Preserver, the Adapter, and the W…
Mapping research on disinformation and misinformation across the Nordic countries: An integrative review
Social media and artificial intelligence have made it easier than ever to create and widely spread manipulated content. Recent geopolitical and digital developments underscore the need for more research on the topic, even in the Nordic countries with their recognised resilience against dis- and misinformation. This integrative review ( N = 359) examines how dis- and misinformation have been studied across disciplines in Denmark, Finland, Iceland,…
Citizen-produced political text: An interdisciplinary study of inequalities in research
Advancements in data harvesting and analysing techniques of large datasets have introduced novel challenges for research utilising political text produced by citizens (CPPT). There are numerous disparities in the current research, which populations and how they are studied, data availability, and access privileges. Researchers’ perspectives on these obstacles have seldom been empirically captured. Our study, built on a survey and in-depth intervi…
The Relevance of Technology to Information Verification: Insights from Norwegian Journalism During a National Election
Growing concerns about disinformation have led to the development of new digital tools and systems designed for journalists' verification and fact-checking needs.Despite these technological developments, research has demonstrated that emerging technologies are not utilised as often and are not as highly valued as industry narratives suggest.There are indications that the typical journalist values traditional skills such as writing and interviewin…
The limits of live fact-checking: Epistemological consequences of introducing a breaking news logic to political fact-checking
This article analyses the novel form of live political fact-checking, as performed by the Norwegian fact-checking organisation Faktisk.no during the Norwegian parliamentary election campaign in 2021. The aim of the study was to investigate the epistemological consequences of introducing a breaking news logic to political fact-checking. Through methods of participatory observation, interviews and textual analysis, the study finds that Faktisk.no u…
Considering Interinstitutional Visibilities in Combating Misinformation
This introduction to the special issue “Fighting Fakes: News publishers, fact-checkers, platform companies, and policymaking” argues that the institutionalization of interactions related to misinformation is central to scholarly understandings of the visibility and structural inequalities of institutionalized efforts to fighting fakes. We look at the ways that contributors of this special issue have shown how materialities, institutions, practice…
Journalism and Source Criticism. Revised Approaches to Assessing Truth-Claims
This article presents a hermeneutical epistemology for the assessment and production of truth-claims in journalism. This epistemology is based on Gadamer’s functional hermeneutics, and it advances the concept of source criticism as an alternative to other practices and understandings of information verification in journalism. The article argues that source criticism is a better approach to bridge the gap between news and truth in journalism in a …
Hiding hate speech: Political moderation on Facebook
Facebook facilitates more extensive dialogue between citizens and politicians. However, communicating via Facebook has also put pressure on political actors to administrate and moderate online debates in order to deal with uncivil comments. Based on a platform analysis of Facebook’s comment moderation functions and interviews with eight political parties’ communication advisors, this study explored how political actors conduct comment moderation.…
Local journalism seen through the numbers
Web metrics grant news organizations a deeper understanding of audiences and the news stories they consume but also pose new interpretive challenges – what do the numbers mean and how to act upon them? This chapter outlines the efforts put forward by a large Norwegian media company, Amedia, to go beyond merely recording digital traffic data to map what news content engages users and, importantly in the current economical situation, what news cont…
Facebook News Use During the 2017 Norwegian Elections—Assessing the Influence of Hyperpartisan News
The paper at hand presents a comparative study on news use in relation to media content as posted to Facebook by a series of established and hyperpartisan media outlets during the 2017 Norwegian national election campaign. Specifically, we are interested in determining what types of news emanating from what types of news outlets that result in comparably higher levels of news use—defined as levels of likes, shares and comments—on Facebook. Result…
The social media logic of political interaction: Exploring citizens’ and politicians’ relationship on Facebook and Twitter
This paper examines citizens’ interactions with politicians in social media in what is referred to as an everyday context, unmediated by news media. Through a representative survey, we compare the influence of a series of socio-demographical variables such as political interest, age, gender and education on the interaction levels between citizens and politicians. The article argues that the social media logic can be operationalized into “connecte…
Understanding News Sharing Across Social Media: Detailing distribution on Facebook and Twitter
News sharing across different social media platforms is increasingly impacting on our news habits. However, we know very little about what makes news popular in these settings. The current paper details what types of news stories are shared the most on two social media platforms—Facebook and Twitter. By conducting a qualitative content analysis and comparing data from four Norwegian media outlets, we find that editorial comment pieces about “soft…
Elite Interaction: Public service broadcasters’ use of Twitter during national elections in Norway and Sweden
While a good deal of research has examined the uses of Twitter in journalism, comparably few research projects employ comparative research designs in order to provide new insights. The present study details Twitter use by public service broadcasters (PSBs) during recent national elections in Norway and Sweden. Utilizing quantitative analysis of social media content in tandem with qualitative interviews with key PSB journalists, the main results i…
The Social Media Paradox Explained: Comparing Political Parties' Facebook Strategy Versus Practice
Political parties' interaction strategy and practice on Facebook is the topic of this article. Political parties and individual politicians can use social media to bypass media and communicate directly with voters through websites and particularly social media platforms such as Facebook. But previous research has demonstrated that interaction on social media is challenging for political parties. This study examines the disparity between interacti…
Of course we are on Facebook’: Use and non-use of social media among Swedish and Norwegian politicians
While plenty of research has provided important insights into the uses of the Internet by politicians during elections, a relatively scarce amount of work has looked into these uses outside of such parliamentary events. This article seeks to remedy this lack of research by presenting a study on the ‘routine’ uses of two of the currently most popular social media services – Facebook and Twitter. Focusing on politicians elected to the national parl…
Understanding News Sharing Across Social Media: Detailing distribution on Facebook and Twitter
News sharing across different social media platforms is increasingly impacting on our news habits. However, we know very little about what makes news popular in these settings. The current paper details what types of news stories are shared the most on two social media platforms—Facebook and Twitter. By conducting a qualitative content analysis and comparing data from four Norwegian media outlets, we find that editorial comment pieces about “soft…
Of course we are on Facebook’: Use and non-use of social media among Swedish and Norwegian politicians
While plenty of research has provided important insights into the uses of the Internet by politicians during elections, a relatively scarce amount of work has looked into these uses outside of such parliamentary events. This article seeks to remedy this lack of research by presenting a study on the ‘routine’ uses of two of the currently most popular social media services – Facebook and Twitter. Focusing on politicians elected to the national parl…
The Social Media Paradox Explained: Comparing Political Parties' Facebook Strategy Versus Practice
Political parties' interaction strategy and practice on Facebook is the topic of this article. Political parties and individual politicians can use social media to bypass media and communicate directly with voters through websites and particularly social media platforms such as Facebook. But previous research has demonstrated that interaction on social media is challenging for political parties. This study examines the disparity between interacti…
Journalism and Source Criticism. Revised Approaches to Assessing Truth-Claims
This article presents a hermeneutical epistemology for the assessment and production of truth-claims in journalism. This epistemology is based on Gadamer’s functional hermeneutics, and it advances the concept of source criticism as an alternative to other practices and understandings of information verification in journalism. The article argues that source criticism is a better approach to bridge the gap between news and truth in journalism in a …
The limits of live fact-checking: Epistemological consequences of introducing a breaking news logic to political fact-checking
This article analyses the novel form of live political fact-checking, as performed by the Norwegian fact-checking organisation Faktisk.no during the Norwegian parliamentary election campaign in 2021. The aim of the study was to investigate the epistemological consequences of introducing a breaking news logic to political fact-checking. Through methods of participatory observation, interviews and textual analysis, the study finds that Faktisk.no u…
Facebook News Use During the 2017 Norwegian Elections—Assessing the Influence of Hyperpartisan News
The paper at hand presents a comparative study on news use in relation to media content as posted to Facebook by a series of established and hyperpartisan media outlets during the 2017 Norwegian national election campaign. Specifically, we are interested in determining what types of news emanating from what types of news outlets that result in comparably higher levels of news use—defined as levels of likes, shares and comments—on Facebook. Result…
Elite Interaction: Public service broadcasters’ use of Twitter during national elections in Norway and Sweden
While a good deal of research has examined the uses of Twitter in journalism, comparably few research projects employ comparative research designs in order to provide new insights. The present study details Twitter use by public service broadcasters (PSBs) during recent national elections in Norway and Sweden. Utilizing quantitative analysis of social media content in tandem with qualitative interviews with key PSB journalists, the main results i…
Hiding hate speech: Political moderation on Facebook
Facebook facilitates more extensive dialogue between citizens and politicians. However, communicating via Facebook has also put pressure on political actors to administrate and moderate online debates in order to deal with uncivil comments. Based on a platform analysis of Facebook’s comment moderation functions and interviews with eight political parties’ communication advisors, this study explored how political actors conduct comment moderation.…
Of course we are on Facebook’: Use and non-use of social media among Swedish and Norwegian politicians
While plenty of research has provided important insights into the uses of the Internet by politicians during elections, a relatively scarce amount of work has looked into these uses outside of such parliamentary events. This article seeks to remedy this lack of research by presenting a study on the ‘routine’ uses of two of the currently most popular social media services – Facebook and Twitter. Focusing on politicians elected to the national parl…
Elite Interaction: Public service broadcasters’ use of Twitter during national elections in Norway and Sweden
While a good deal of research has examined the uses of Twitter in journalism, comparably few research projects employ comparative research designs in order to provide new insights. The present study details Twitter use by public service broadcasters (PSBs) during recent national elections in Norway and Sweden. Utilizing quantitative analysis of social media content in tandem with qualitative interviews with key PSB journalists, the main results i…
The Social Media Paradox Explained: Comparing Political Parties' Facebook Strategy Versus Practice
Political parties' interaction strategy and practice on Facebook is the topic of this article. Political parties and individual politicians can use social media to bypass media and communicate directly with voters through websites and particularly social media platforms such as Facebook. But previous research has demonstrated that interaction on social media is challenging for political parties. This study examines the disparity between interacti…
The social media logic of political interaction: Exploring citizens’ and politicians’ relationship on Facebook and Twitter
This paper examines citizens’ interactions with politicians in social media in what is referred to as an everyday context, unmediated by news media. Through a representative survey, we compare the influence of a series of socio-demographical variables such as political interest, age, gender and education on the interaction levels between citizens and politicians. The article argues that the social media logic can be operationalized into “connecte…
Understanding News Sharing Across Social Media: Detailing distribution on Facebook and Twitter
News sharing across different social media platforms is increasingly impacting on our news habits. However, we know very little about what makes news popular in these settings. The current paper details what types of news stories are shared the most on two social media platforms—Facebook and Twitter. By conducting a qualitative content analysis and comparing data from four Norwegian media outlets, we find that editorial comment pieces about “soft…
Local journalism seen through the numbers
Web metrics grant news organizations a deeper understanding of audiences and the news stories they consume but also pose new interpretive challenges – what do the numbers mean and how to act upon them? This chapter outlines the efforts put forward by a large Norwegian media company, Amedia, to go beyond merely recording digital traffic data to map what news content engages users and, importantly in the current economical situation, what news cont…
Facebook News Use During the 2017 Norwegian Elections—Assessing the Influence of Hyperpartisan News
The paper at hand presents a comparative study on news use in relation to media content as posted to Facebook by a series of established and hyperpartisan media outlets during the 2017 Norwegian national election campaign. Specifically, we are interested in determining what types of news emanating from what types of news outlets that result in comparably higher levels of news use—defined as levels of likes, shares and comments—on Facebook. Result…
Hiding hate speech: Political moderation on Facebook
Facebook facilitates more extensive dialogue between citizens and politicians. However, communicating via Facebook has also put pressure on political actors to administrate and moderate online debates in order to deal with uncivil comments. Based on a platform analysis of Facebook’s comment moderation functions and interviews with eight political parties’ communication advisors, this study explored how political actors conduct comment moderation.…
Considering Interinstitutional Visibilities in Combating Misinformation
This introduction to the special issue “Fighting Fakes: News publishers, fact-checkers, platform companies, and policymaking” argues that the institutionalization of interactions related to misinformation is central to scholarly understandings of the visibility and structural inequalities of institutionalized efforts to fighting fakes. We look at the ways that contributors of this special issue have shown how materialities, institutions, practice…
Journalism and Source Criticism. Revised Approaches to Assessing Truth-Claims
This article presents a hermeneutical epistemology for the assessment and production of truth-claims in journalism. This epistemology is based on Gadamer’s functional hermeneutics, and it advances the concept of source criticism as an alternative to other practices and understandings of information verification in journalism. The article argues that source criticism is a better approach to bridge the gap between news and truth in journalism in a …
The Relevance of Technology to Information Verification: Insights from Norwegian Journalism During a National Election
Growing concerns about disinformation have led to the development of new digital tools and systems designed for journalists' verification and fact-checking needs.Despite these technological developments, research has demonstrated that emerging technologies are not utilised as often and are not as highly valued as industry narratives suggest.There are indications that the typical journalist values traditional skills such as writing and interviewin…
The limits of live fact-checking: Epistemological consequences of introducing a breaking news logic to political fact-checking
This article analyses the novel form of live political fact-checking, as performed by the Norwegian fact-checking organisation Faktisk.no during the Norwegian parliamentary election campaign in 2021. The aim of the study was to investigate the epistemological consequences of introducing a breaking news logic to political fact-checking. Through methods of participatory observation, interviews and textual analysis, the study finds that Faktisk.no u…
Citizen-produced political text: An interdisciplinary study of inequalities in research
Advancements in data harvesting and analysing techniques of large datasets have introduced novel challenges for research utilising political text produced by citizens (CPPT). There are numerous disparities in the current research, which populations and how they are studied, data availability, and access privileges. Researchers’ perspectives on these obstacles have seldom been empirically captured. Our study, built on a survey and in-depth intervi…
Navigating Platform Dependency: Four Strategic Approaches for Social Media News Publishing
This article examines how Norwegian newsrooms attempt to secure editorial autonomy while engaging with social media platforms. Drawing on qualitative interviews with 16 newsroom actors and two weeks of field observation, it explores how editorial strategies are enacted through everyday practices. Using a strategy-as-practice perspective, we identify four approaches to social media publishing – the Negotiator, the Preserver, the Adapter, and the W…
Mapping research on disinformation and misinformation across the Nordic countries: An integrative review
Social media and artificial intelligence have made it easier than ever to create and widely spread manipulated content. Recent geopolitical and digital developments underscore the need for more research on the topic, even in the Nordic countries with their recognised resilience against dis- and misinformation. This integrative review ( N = 359) examines how dis- and misinformation have been studied across disciplines in Denmark, Finland, Iceland,…
A brave new democracy: Remarks on the impact of social media, algorithms, and AI on politics and citizenship
Contemporary understandings of democratic citizenship and its role in democracy have evolved over the last few decades, generally in response to periods of societal, political, and communication change. These changes are often connected to challenges associated with globalisation or growing inequality, but also reflect the spread of digital communication technologies, which provide new social and political contexts that call for fresh thinking ab…
‘More than a feeling’ – Facebook reactions and the sharing of political posts during Scandinavian elections
Social media have impacted political communication processes in relation to how information is produced, distributed, and consumed – particularly during elections. Here, we address the role of emotions in Facebook posts by parties and leaders to understand the complex relationship between politics, platforms, emotions, and voters in Scandinavia. Through a quantitative study of Facebook posts from political actors, the study identifies clear conte…
Protecting democracy: Comparing codes of conduct for generative AI use during elections
Flattening the and news: Platformisation the erosion of topical diversity across news outlet types
This article examines how platformisation reshapes topical diversity across news outlet types in Norway. Using Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) topic modelling and diversity indices on more than 220,000 articles from 22 national, regional, local and niche outlets, it compares content published on proprietary websites with that on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. The findings reveal a ‘flattening’ of the news agenda on social media. While distinct…
News media lobbying and the EU’s Digital Services Act: Strategies and experiences from the small non-EU state of Norway
The formation of the Digital Services Act (DSA) in the European Union (EU), aiming to regulate platform power, provided a unique policy window to secure media-specific interests vis-à-vis platforms. This study investigates how Norwegian news media actors utilised the policy window. Drawing on qualitative interviews with 20 elite informants in Norway and the EU, the analysis shows how the Norwegian actors strategised to protect editorial independe…
Social Media and Politics (16 works) · Political science (14 works) · Social media (13 works) · Sociology (13 works) · Media Studies and Communication (12 works) · Law (10 works) · Media studies (10 works) · Politics (9 works) · Law (8 works) · Public relations (8 works)