Vegard Sletten
Encyclopedia
Vegard Sletten was a Norwegian newspaper editor. He worked in Stavanger Aftenblad
from 1929 to 1945, except for the World War II years during parts of which he was imprisoned, and then in Verdens Gang
from 1945. He edited the latter newspaper from 1967 to 1977, and chaired both the Norwegian Union of Journalists
and the Norwegian Press Association
. Like his father Klaus Sletten
he was also a Nynorsk
supporter.
as a son of newspaper editor Klaus Daae Sletten
(1877–1946) and Margit Bruun (1875–1958). He was a nephew of Jakob Hveding Sletten
and a maternal grandson of Christopher Bruun
. From Kristiania his family soon moved to Stavanger
via Trondhjem
and Ålesund
. He finished
his secondary education in Stavanger in 1925, and studied at the University of Oslo
, the University of Paris
and the École des hautes études en sciences sociales
between 1925 and 1928. He was hired as a journalist in Stavanger Aftenblad
in 1929. In 1933 he married Synnøve Erika Gudmundson (1909–2001).
and occupied by Germany as a part of World War II
. Nazification attempts of the press soon began, and when a member of the Fascist party Nasjonal Samling was installed in Stavanger Aftenblad in 1941, Sletten quit his job. He then worked part-time as a teacher, as well as in the illegal press. He was arrested in Stavanger in June 1944, and spent time in Grini concentration camp from June 1944 to February 1945. He was then detained in Berg concentration camp
until the liberation of Norway
, which incidentally took place on his birthday.
in the autumn of 1945. He worked there parallel to editing the weekly newspaper Norsk Tidend, from 1946 to 1975, and chairing the trade union
Norwegian Union of Journalists
from 1946 to 1949 and 1952 to 1956. He helped co-found this trade union. In the Norwegian Press Association
he was deputy chair from 1947 to 1951 and chair from 1962 to 1971. From 1962 to 1964 he was a board member of the International Federation of Journalists
.
Sletten became chief editor of Verdens Gang in 1967, and sat until his old age retirement in 1977. The newspaper had multiple chief editors at this time. Sletten replaced founding editor Christian A. R. Christensen
, and co-edited with Oskar Hasselknippe
, who had held the position since 1953. Between 1969 and 1974 Arne Bonde
sat as a third editor. Hasselknippe and Sletten were succeeded by Tim Greve
and Andreas Norland
. During Sletten's period as editor Verdens Gang developed into one of Norway's leading newspapers, more or less trebling its circulation. In 1981 it surpassed Aftenposten
to become Norway's largest newspaper.
Sletten also chaired the Nynorsk
organization Noregs Ungdomslag
from 1947 to 1955, following in the footsteps of his father. He was also a member of the Norwegian Language Council
and of the board of the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation
. As a pensioner he wrote Pressestøtte og pressefridom ('Press Support and Freedom of the Press', 1979), a book about the Norwegian press support
. He also biographed Christopher Bruun in 1986; in 1964 he had issued a collection of Bruun's letters. He was decorated as a Knight, First Class of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav and of the Order of the Lion of Finland
. He died in December 1984 in Oslo.
Stavanger Aftenblad
Stavanger Aftenblad or simply Aftenbladet is a daily newspaper in Stavanger, Norway. It was founded in 1893 by the priest Lars Oftedal, and was for a long period a publication for the Liberal Party. It had a circulation of 68,186 copies in 2005...
from 1929 to 1945, except for the World War II years during parts of which he was imprisoned, and then in Verdens Gang
Verdens Gang
Verdens Gang , generally known under the abbreviation VG, is a Norwegian tabloid newspaper...
from 1945. He edited the latter newspaper from 1967 to 1977, and chaired both 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....
and the Norwegian Press Association
Norwegian Press Association
The Norwegian Press Association is Norwegian association established in 1910, for press people with journalism as their main profession. Among its members are the Norwegian Union of Journalists, the Association of Norwegian Editors, Norsk Lokalradioforbund and the Norwegian Media Businesses'...
. Like his father Klaus Sletten
Klaus Sletten
Klaus Daae Sletten was a Norwegian organizational worker and politician who spent his professional career as an editor of magazines and newspapers. He was known as a supporter of the Nynorsk cause.-Early life:...
he was also a Nynorsk
Nynorsk
Nynorsk or New Norwegian is one of two official written standards for the Norwegian language, the other being Bokmål. The standard language was created by Ivar Aasen during the mid-19th century, to provide a Norwegian alternative to the Danish language which was commonly written in Norway at the...
supporter.
Early and personal life
Sletten was born in KristianiaOslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
as a son of newspaper editor Klaus Daae Sletten
Klaus Sletten
Klaus Daae Sletten was a Norwegian organizational worker and politician who spent his professional career as an editor of magazines and newspapers. He was known as a supporter of the Nynorsk cause.-Early life:...
(1877–1946) and Margit Bruun (1875–1958). He was a nephew of Jakob Hveding Sletten
Jakob Hveding Sletten
Jakob Hveding Sletten was a Norwegian priest and musician.He was born in Høyland to parents who hailed from Lindås. The family moved to Lindås in 1882. He enrolled as a student in 1895, and graduated with the cand.theol. degree in 1901. He was a curate in Stavanger Cathedral from 1902, then curate...
and a maternal grandson of Christopher Bruun
Christopher Bruun
Christopher Arndt Bruun was a Norwegian priest and educator.-Early life:He was born in Christiania as a son of jurist Johan Peter Bruun and Line Stenersen . After his father died when Christopher was three years old, the family moved to Vang, Hedmark, then to Lillehammer in 1850...
. From Kristiania his family soon moved to Stavanger
Stavanger
Stavanger is a city and municipality in the county of Rogaland, Norway.Stavanger municipality has a population of 126,469. There are 197,852 people living in the Stavanger conurbation, making Stavanger the fourth largest city, but the third largest urban area, in Norway...
via Trondhjem
Trondheim
Trondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of...
and Ålesund
Ålesund
is a town and municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Sunnmøre, and the center of the Ålesund Region. It is a sea port, and is noted for its unique concentration of Art Nouveau architecture....
. He finished
Examen artium
Examen artium was the name of the academic certification conferred in Denmark and Norway, qualifying the student for admission to university studies. Examen artium was originally introduced as the entrance exam of the University of Copenhagen in 1630...
his secondary education in Stavanger in 1925, and studied at the University of Oslo
University of Oslo
The University of Oslo , formerly The Royal Frederick University , is the oldest and largest university in Norway, situated in the Norwegian capital of Oslo. The university was founded in 1811 and was modelled after the recently established University of Berlin...
, the University of Paris
University of Paris
The University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...
and the École des hautes études en sciences sociales
École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales
The École des hautes études en sciences sociales is a leading French institution for research and higher education, a Grand Établissement. Its mission is research and research training in the social sciences, including the relationship these latter maintain with the natural and life sciences...
between 1925 and 1928. He was hired as a journalist in Stavanger Aftenblad
Stavanger Aftenblad
Stavanger Aftenblad or simply Aftenbladet is a daily newspaper in Stavanger, Norway. It was founded in 1893 by the priest Lars Oftedal, and was for a long period a publication for the Liberal Party. It had a circulation of 68,186 copies in 2005...
in 1929. In 1933 he married Synnøve Erika Gudmundson (1909–2001).
World War II
In 1940, Norway was invadedOperation Weserübung
Operation Weserübung was the code name for Germany's assault on Denmark and Norway during the Second World War and the opening operation of the Norwegian Campaign...
and occupied by Germany as a part of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Nazification attempts of the press soon began, and when a member of the Fascist party Nasjonal Samling was installed in Stavanger Aftenblad in 1941, Sletten quit his job. He then worked part-time as a teacher, as well as in the illegal press. He was arrested in Stavanger in June 1944, and spent time in Grini concentration camp from June 1944 to February 1945. He was then detained in Berg concentration camp
Berg concentration camp
Berg was a concentration camp near Tønsberg in Norway that served as an internment and transit center for political prisoners and Jews during the Nazi occupation of Norway.-Establishment:...
until the liberation of Norway
Victory in Europe Day
Victory in Europe Day commemorates 8 May 1945 , the date when the World War II Allies formally accepted the unconditional surrender of the armed forces of Nazi Germany and the end of Adolf Hitler's Third Reich. The formal surrender of the occupying German forces in the Channel Islands was not...
, which incidentally took place on his birthday.
Post-war career
After the war, Sletten returned to his old job in Stavanger Aftenblad, but quit after a few months, following a dispute over the appointment of Christian S. Oftedal as editor-in-chief. Instead, he was hired by the newly established Verdens GangVerdens Gang
Verdens Gang , generally known under the abbreviation VG, is a Norwegian tabloid newspaper...
in the autumn of 1945. He worked there parallel to editing the weekly newspaper Norsk Tidend, from 1946 to 1975, and chairing the trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
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....
from 1946 to 1949 and 1952 to 1956. He helped co-found this trade union. In the Norwegian Press Association
Norwegian Press Association
The Norwegian Press Association is Norwegian association established in 1910, for press people with journalism as their main profession. Among its members are the Norwegian Union of Journalists, the Association of Norwegian Editors, Norsk Lokalradioforbund and the Norwegian Media Businesses'...
he was deputy chair from 1947 to 1951 and chair from 1962 to 1971. From 1962 to 1964 he was a board member of the International Federation of Journalists
International Federation of Journalists
International Federation of Journalists, IFJ, is a global union federation of journalists' trade unions—the largest in the world. The organization aims to protect and strengthen the rights and freedoms of journalists...
.
Sletten became chief editor of Verdens Gang in 1967, and sat until his old age retirement in 1977. The newspaper had multiple chief editors at this time. Sletten replaced founding editor Christian A. R. Christensen
Christian A. R. Christensen
Christian A. R. Christensen was a Norwegian newspaper editor. He is known for his work in the Norwegian resistance movement, as editor of Verdens Gang and as a historical writer...
, and co-edited with Oskar Hasselknippe
Oskar Hasselknippe
Oskar Hasselknippe was a Norwegian newspaper editor. He is known for his work in the Norwegian resistance movement and as editor of Verdens Gang during its swift ascent among Norwegian newspapers....
, who had held the position since 1953. Between 1969 and 1974 Arne Bonde
Arne Bonde
Arne Andreas Bonde was a Norwegian newspaper editor and radio executive.He was born in Ålesund as a son of engineer Jens Gustav Bonde and Ester Sandborg Røe . He started his journalistic career in the Norwegian News Agency at the age of eighteen, without much education. He stayed there for ten...
sat as a third editor. Hasselknippe and Sletten were succeeded by Tim Greve
Tim Greve
Tim Greve was a Norwegian historian, civil servant, diplomatist, newspaper editor and biographer.-Personal life:...
and Andreas Norland
Andreas Norland
Andreas Norland is a Norwegian newspaper editor. He is known as editor of three large newspapers Adresseavisen, Verdens Gang and Aftenposten, and has also held other positions in the Schibsted media conglomerate.-Early life:...
. During Sletten's period as editor Verdens Gang developed into one of Norway's leading newspapers, more or less trebling its circulation. In 1981 it surpassed Aftenposten
Aftenposten
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...
to become Norway's largest newspaper.
Sletten also chaired the Nynorsk
Nynorsk
Nynorsk or New Norwegian is one of two official written standards for the Norwegian language, the other being Bokmål. The standard language was created by Ivar Aasen during the mid-19th century, to provide a Norwegian alternative to the Danish language which was commonly written in Norway at the...
organization Noregs Ungdomslag
Noregs Ungdomslag
Noregs Ungdomslag is a Norwegian cultural society formed in 1896. It has around 17,000 members and 450 local chapters.-Activities:...
from 1947 to 1955, following in the footsteps of his father. He was also a member of the Norwegian Language Council
Norwegian Language Council
The Norwegian Language Council was the regulation authority for the Norwegian language. It has been superseded by The Language Council of Norway .The council had 38 members, and created lists of acceptable word forms...
and of the board of the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation
Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation
The Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation is a directorate under the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Its task is to ensure effective foreign aid, with quality assurance and evaluation. NORAD both finances NGOs, and does its own research and projects. The current director general is...
. As a pensioner he wrote Pressestøtte og pressefridom ('Press Support and Freedom of the Press', 1979), a book about the Norwegian press support
Press support
Press support is a Norwegian state subsidy available for newspapers. The subsidy is twofold; the first part is a direct subsidy of the second- largest, by circulation, newspapers in each city...
. He also biographed Christopher Bruun in 1986; in 1964 he had issued a collection of Bruun's letters. He was decorated as a Knight, First Class of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav and of the Order of the Lion of Finland
Order of the Lion of Finland
There are three official orders in Finland: the Order of the Cross of Liberty, the Order of the White Rose of Finland and the Order of the Lion of Finland . The President of Finland is the Grand Master of all three orders. The orders are administered by boards consisting of a chancellor, a...
. He died in December 1984 in Oslo.