Document.no
Encyclopedia
Document.no is a Norwegian website, which describes itself as a "blog on politics, public debate, media criticism and culture." The website holds positions that are critical towards Islam
and immigration, and supportive of Israel
. The National Library of Norway classifies document.no under "current periodicals," and as focusing on culture, politics and political science. The website was founded on 14 January 2003, and is owned and published by the limited company with the same name. The website's founder and editor is Hans Rustad. Before July 2011, the website reached an audience of up to 40,000 unique visitors every week.
described it in 2009 as "an Islam-critical and Israel
-friendly, so-called blue-blog". The Norwegian conservative Muslim commentator Mohammad Usman Rana
has called document.no "a right-wing populist
and Muslimphobic
interest group". Helge Øgrim, editor of Journalisten, the journal of the Norwegian Union of Journalists
, in July 2011 described document.no as an "anti-immigrant forum which has evolved into a hotbed of galloping Islamophobia." The same month, the Financial Times
described document.no as "a website rife with anti-Muslim and hard right rhetoric," and Lars Gule
described it in the The Vancouver Sun
as "a far-right web forum" that is "dominated by Islamophobic and anti-immigration commentary". The New York Times
described document.no as "a popular conservative Website."
Yvonne Rundberg Savosnick, the former chairman of the Norwegian Union of Jewish Students, cited the website in an 2009 interview with student newspaper at the University of Oslo Universitas
. In the article titled "Curriculum" she was asked to suggest three websites that she would recommend be on the curriculum of every student. After stating that she did not agree for one curriculum for all she suggested the website as one of three picks as, although she rarely agreed with everything on the site, it gave a critical view of the Norwegian press
.
as the main player, when for the first time in Norwegian history, "blog
gers" was credited for successfully setting the national political agenda. Rustad had on a daily basis criticized a governmental proposed extension of § 185 with regards to "hate speech so that the provision protects the need for a criminal law protection against qualified attack on religion
s and belief." The proposed bill was met with nearly no exposure in the mainstream media, until close to a month later, although it had been criticizised as an attack on democracy
in Danish
newspapers. Eventually the bill became criticized as attacking freedom of speech
, and an online petition against it was supported by numerous notable figures in Norway. In the end, the government pulled the proposal back.
, perpetrator of the 2011 Norway attacks
, having posted numerous posts on the website and praised the blog owner. He also attended meetings of Documents venner (Friends of Document), affiliated with the website. According to the BBC
, "Anders Behring Breivik left racist, extremist right-wing comments along with fellow anti-Muslims" on the site. However, according to Janne Kristiansen
, Chief of the Norwegian Police Security Service (PST), Breivik "deliberately desisted from violent exhortations on the net [and] has more or less been a moderate, and has neither been part of any extremist network." The blog owner distanced himself from Breivik.
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
and immigration, and supportive of Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. The National Library of Norway classifies document.no under "current periodicals," and as focusing on culture, politics and political science. The website was founded on 14 January 2003, and is owned and published by the limited company with the same name. The website's founder and editor is Hans Rustad. Before July 2011, the website reached an audience of up to 40,000 unique visitors every week.
Reception
AftenpostenAftenposten
Aftenposten is Norway's largest newspaper. It retook this position in 2010, taking it from the tabloid Verdens Gang which had been the largest newspaper for several decades. It is based in Oslo. The morning edition, which is distributed across all of Norway, had a circulation of 250,179 in 2007...
described it in 2009 as "an Islam-critical and Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
-friendly, so-called blue-blog". The Norwegian conservative Muslim commentator Mohammad Usman Rana
Mohammad Usman Rana
Mohammad Usman Rana is a Norwegian Pakistani commentator, columnist and medical doctor, achieving his degree at the University of Oslo.-Early life:He was born in Norway, and grew up in Husvik in southern Tønsberg...
has called document.no "a right-wing populist
Right-wing populism
Right-wing populism is a political ideology that rejects existing political consensus and combines laissez-faire liberalism and anti-elitism. It is considered "right-wing" because of its rejection of social equality and government programs to achieve it, its opposition to social integration, and...
and Muslimphobic
Islamophobia
Islamophobia describes prejudice against, hatred or irrational fear of Islam or MuslimsThe term dates back to the late 1980s or early 1990s, but came into common usage after the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States....
interest group". Helge Øgrim, editor of Journalisten, the journal of the Norwegian Union of Journalists
Norwegian Union of Journalists
The Norwegian Union of Journalists is a trade union in Norway. It consists of editorial personnel in newspapers, magazines, television and radio, as well as freelance journalists....
, in July 2011 described document.no as an "anti-immigrant forum which has evolved into a hotbed of galloping Islamophobia." The same month, the Financial Times
Financial Times
The Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....
described document.no as "a website rife with anti-Muslim and hard right rhetoric," and Lars Gule
Lars Gule
Lars Gule is a Norwegian philosopher.A scholar on the Middle East, he took the doctorate degree at the University of Bergen in 2003 with the thesis Social Development and Political Progress in Two Traditions. He was involved in various research programmes at the University of Bergen and Chr....
described it in the The Vancouver Sun
The Vancouver Sun
The Vancouver Sun is a daily newspaper first published in the Canadian province of British Columbia on February 12, 1912. The paper is currently published by the Pacific Newspaper Group, a division of Postmedia Network. It is published six days a week, Monday to Saturday...
as "a far-right web forum" that is "dominated by Islamophobic and anti-immigration commentary". The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
described document.no as "a popular conservative Website."
Yvonne Rundberg Savosnick, the former chairman of the Norwegian Union of Jewish Students, cited the website in an 2009 interview with student newspaper at the University of Oslo Universitas
Universitas (newspaper)
Universitas is a student newspaper in Oslo, Norway, published since 1946. With a weekly circulation of 17,000, Universitas is one of Europe's largest student newspapers. It is distributed on campuses of institutions of higher learning, that are affiliated with the Student Welfare Organisation in Oslo...
. In the article titled "Curriculum" she was asked to suggest three websites that she would recommend be on the curriculum of every student. After stating that she did not agree for one curriculum for all she suggested the website as one of three picks as, although she rarely agreed with everything on the site, it gave a critical view of the Norwegian press
Media of Norway
- Press :Reporters Without Borders ranks Norway 1st in its Worldwide Press Freedom Index, the same level as Iceland and Luxembourg. Freedom of the press in Norway dates back to the constitution of 1814...
.
Impact
In 2009 the website was cited by DagbladetDagbladet
Dagbladet is Norway's second largest tabloid newspaper, and the third largest newspaper overall with a circulation of 105,255 copies in 2009, 18,128 papers less than in 2008. The editor in chief is Lars Helle....
as the main player, when for the first time in Norwegian history, "blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
gers" was credited for successfully setting the national political agenda. Rustad had on a daily basis criticized a governmental proposed extension of § 185 with regards to "hate speech so that the provision protects the need for a criminal law protection against qualified attack on religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
s and belief." The proposed bill was met with nearly no exposure in the mainstream media, until close to a month later, although it had been criticizised as an attack on democracy
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
in Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
newspapers. Eventually the bill became criticized as attacking freedom of speech
Freedom of speech
Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without censorship. The term freedom of expression is sometimes used synonymously, but includes any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used...
, and an online petition against it was supported by numerous notable figures in Norway. In the end, the government pulled the proposal back.
Links to admitted terrorist
The blog received global media attention in July 2011 due to terrorist Anders Behring BreivikAnders Behring Breivik
Anders Behring Breivik is a Norwegian terrorist, paranoid schizophrenic and the confessed perpetrator of the Norway attacks on 22 July 2011: the bombing of government buildings in Oslo that resulted in eight deaths, and the mass shooting at a camp of the Workers' Youth League of the Labour Party...
, perpetrator of the 2011 Norway attacks
2011 Norway attacks
The 2011 Norway attacks were two sequential terrorist attacks against the government, the civilian population and a summer camp in Norway on 22 July 2011....
, having posted numerous posts on the website and praised the blog owner. He also attended meetings of Documents venner (Friends of Document), affiliated with the website. According to the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, "Anders Behring Breivik left racist, extremist right-wing comments along with fellow anti-Muslims" on the site. However, according to Janne Kristiansen
Janne Kristiansen
Janne Kristiansen is a Norwegian jurist.She worked as a public defender in Borgarting Court of Appeal from 1986 and Moss District Court from 1990. From 2004 to 2009 she led the Norwegian Criminal Cases Review Commission....
, Chief of the Norwegian Police Security Service (PST), Breivik "deliberately desisted from violent exhortations on the net [and] has more or less been a moderate, and has neither been part of any extremist network." The blog owner distanced himself from Breivik.