Background
Born in Oslo, Norway. 1943. Norwegian matriculation exam. Oslo Katedralskole. 1962. Studies at the University of Oslo, 1963-71. Ending with a Magistergrad in Comparative literature, topic of dissertation: Nigerian Novels and Social Change. Supporting subjects for the degree: English literature and language, Nordic literature and languages. Studies in literature and philosophy at Brandeis University, Mass. USA. 1964-65. Studies in anthropology and African Studies at School of Oriental and African Studies. London University 1968-69. Research assistant and research fellow in The Department of Comparative Literature University of Oslo 1972-1980. Lecturer and later Senior Lecturer in The Department of Nordic Literature and Languages. UofO.1980-87. Professor in The Department of Media and Communication. UofO. from 1987- .
Research and scholarly work at the University of Ibadan, 1976 and 1978. Visiting scholar at The University of California, Santa Barbara. 1987. Research and scholarly work at the University of Zimbabwe several times since 1988. Scholarly work and Research in Mozambique 1996 - 1998. 2004 - 2006. Leader of a number of research projects particularly in the area of Media and Development and Media and Democratic Change.
Reporter and editor with Norwegian radio and television on a free-lance basis. Editor and reader with Norwegian publishers. Editor of the journals Kontrast and Samtiden 1969-1979, 1979-1989. Reviewer for the Norwegian daily newspaper Dagbladet 1978 - 1998. President of Norwegian Non-Fiction Writers and Translators Union 1994 -1996. Member of the Programe council for TV2 1994 - 1998. Acting Executive Director of the Nordic-SADC Journalism Centre, Maputo. 1996. Member of the Norwegian Public Service Broadcasting Council. 1996 -2004. Member of the the Government Commission on Freedom of Expression 1996- 1999. Chairman of the Board of the Ibsen Centre, University of Oslo Chairman of The Government's Committee for Development Politicies 2003 - 2005. Chairman of the Board of the Norwegian Reprographic Rights Organisations, Kopinor 1998 - . Member of the National Ibsen Commitee 1998 - .
Published numerous articles on literary, social, political, media and cultural topics in Norwegian, Scandinavian, European and American journals and newspapers. Published and contributed to several books on politics, literature, media and cultural topics in Norway, Denmark, Sweden, UK, Portugal, US, Zimbabwe, Mozambique.
Teaching and tutoring
Textual analaysis of fim and TV; Adaptation; Media and Literature; Cultural Studies; News analysis and International Journalism; Media and Democracy; Media and Development; Freedom of Expression; Intellectual Property Rights and the Media; Media Theory.
Special fields
Film and TV analysis; News Analysis; Democratic developments and Media; Globalisation Theory; Media and Development, African Media; Freedom of Expression; Copyright in the Media; Cultural Studies; The book as a Medium; Cultural Politics; Media and Literature.
Ongoing and planned research projects
Media and Democratic Change - Southern Africa, (end 2007) Globalisation and Marginalisation in Communication Systems (end 2007) Communication, Control and Convergence.