Karoline Andrea Ihlebæk

About

Ihlebæk is professor in journalism at OsloMet where she is part of the Digital Journalism Research Group. Ihlebæk is affiliated with C-REX and POLKOM at the University of Oslo. She has previously worked at the University of Oslo and the Ministry of Culture, and has had part-time positions at NTNU and the Institute for Social Research. Her research interests include journalism, alternative media, participation, platform power and media policy.

Ihlebæk has twice won prices for best academic journal article: 'Challenging Journalistic Authority' published in Journalism Studies (with Tine Ustad Figenschou, OsloMet) and 'Journalism, Solidarity and the Civil Sphere. The Case of Charlie Hebdo' published in European Journal of Communication (with Maria Luengo, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid). She has been the editor of Norsk medietidsskrift together with Bente Kalsnes, and is currently an editorial member of Journalistica.

Ihlebæk is co-leading the research project 'Far-Right Politics Online and Societal Resilience' together with Kari Steen-Johnsen. The project is funded by the Norwegian Research Council. She also involved in the NORDFORSK-reseach project 'PastForward. The political uses of the past in digital discourses about Nordic futures', led by the University of Copenhagen.

Ihlebæk is part of the EU Cost Action network 'Redressing Radical Polarisation: Strengthening European Civil Spheres facing Illiberal Digital Media'. She leads the working group 'Designing practical tools to counter, redress and prevent radical polarisation'. For more information: https://depolarising.eu/.

Fields of study

Academic disciplines

Media studies and journalism

Research groups

Digital Journalism

Research projects

Far-right Politics Online and Societal Resilience (FREXO)
The FREXO project investigates how online media affect the mobilizing capacity and the broader societal and political impact of far right politics.

Scientific publications

Ihlebæk, Karoline Andrea ; Figenschou, Tine Ustad (2025). Alternative media and political campaigning. Lilleker, Darren G.; Jackson, Daniel; Kalsnes, Bente; Mellado, Claudia; Trevisan, Filippo; Veneti, Anastasia (Ed.). The Routledge Handbook of Political Campaigning . Routledge.
https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003333326-24

Røsok-Dahl, Heidi ; Ihlebæk, Karoline Andrea (2024). Young People and News: A Systematic Literature Review. 20 p. Journalism Studies. Vol. 25.
https://doi.org/10.1080/1461670X.2024.2372425

Ihlebæk, Karoline Andrea ; Figenschou, Tine Ustad ; Olsen, Ragnhild Kristine (2024). Norway: Media Welfare in a Small Nation. Schapals, Aljosha Karim; Pentzold, Christian (Ed.). Media Compass: A Companion to International Media Landscapes. p. 106-119. Wiley-Blackwell.

Pedersen, Leif; Ihlebæk, Karoline Andrea ; Figenschou, Tine Ustad ; Mayerhöffer, Eva (2024). Boundary Work in the Nordic Media Model: Metajournalistic Discourse on Alternative Media in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Journalism Studies.
https://doi.org/10.1080/1461670X.2024.2385925

Frischlich, Lena; Eldridge, Scott; Figenschou, Tine Ustad ; Ihlebæk, Karoline Andrea ; Holt, Kristoffer; Cushion, Stephen (2023). Contesting the Mainstream: Towards an Audience-Centered Agenda of Alternative News Research. Digital Journalism. Vol. 11.
https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2023.2214791

Ihlebæk, Karoline Andrea ; Figenschou, Tine Ustad (2023). Journalism as a Strategic Action Field: How to Study Contestations and Power Dynamics between Professional Journalism and Its Challengers. Digital Journalism.
https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2023.2214901

Steensen, Steen ; Figenschou, Tine Ustad ; Ihlebæk, Karoline Andrea (2023). Playing the Mainstream Game. A Language-Game Analysis of “Mainstream” as a Possible Boundary Object in Journalism Studies. 18 p. Digital Journalism. Vol. 11.
https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2023.2180406

Ihlebæk, Karoline Andrea ; Figenschou, Tine Ustad ; Eldridge, Scott; Frischlich, Lena; Cushion, Stephen; Holt, Kristoffer (2022). Understanding Alternative News Media and Its Contribution to Diversity. 15 p. Digital Journalism. Vol. 10.
https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2022.2134165

Ihlebæk, Karoline Andrea ; Figenschou, Tine Ustad (2022). Innenfor eller utenfor? Høyrevridde alternative medier og forhandling om grenser i den journalistiske institusjonen. 18 p. Tidsskrift for samfunnsforskning. Vol. 63.
https://doi.org/10.18261/tfs.63.4.1

Ihlebæk, Karoline Andrea ; Figenschou, Tine Ustad (2022). Knock, knock! Right-wing alternative media is at the door. Institutional boundary work in a hybrid media environment. Ferrucci, Patrick; Elddridge II, Scott A. (Ed.). The Institutions Changing Journalism. Barbarians Inside the Gate. p. 15-31. Routledge.
https://doi.org/10.4324/978100f3140399

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These publications are obtained from Cristin. The list may be incomplete

Research reports

Ihlebæk, Karoline Andrea ; Figenschou, Tine Ustad ; Haanshuus, Birgitte P. (2020). What is the relationship between the far right and the media?. 3 p. 7Letras.

Staksrud, Elisabeth ; Steen-Johnsen, Kari; Enjolras, Bernard; Gustafsson, Maria Helena; Ihlebæk, Karoline Andrea ; Midtbøen, Arnfinn Haagensen; Sætrang, Synne ; Trygstad, Sissel; Utheim, Maria (2014). Ytringsfrihet i Norge : Holdninger og erfaringer i befolkningen : Resultater fra befolkningsundersøkelsen 2014. ISBN: 978-82-7763-443-2. 130 p. Institutt for samfunnsforskning/Fritt Ord.
http://hdl.handle.net/11250/2389658

Ihlebæk, Karoline Andrea ; Maasø, Arnt (2007). Om kulturdekningen i Colosseum, Colosseum Spesial, SAAB, Sarahs fornemmelse av kultur, Absolutt Underholdning, Kulturbeitet og Store Studio. 55 p. Medietilsynet.

These publications are obtained from Cristin. The list may be incomplete

Dissemination

Olsen, Gunhild Ring ; Ihlebæk, Karoline Andrea ; Figenschou, Tine Ustad ; Kalsnes, Bente (2024). News media lobbying and platform regulation - a case study of the Digital Services Act and the struggle for editorial autonomy. Norsk Medieforskerkonferanse. Norsk Medieforskerlag.

Olsen, Gunhild Ring ; Ihlebæk, Karoline Andrea ; Figenschou, Tine Ustad ; Kalsnes, Bente (2024). Exemption? For whom? Platform regulation and news media lobbying. ECREA 2024: Communication & social (dis)order . European Communication Conference (ECREA).

Mayerhöffer, Eva; Pedersen, Leif Hemming; Ihlebæk, Karoline Andrea ; Figenschou, Tine Ustad (2023). Boundary-work in the Nordic media model: A comparative analysis of institutional responses to alternative media in Norway, Sweden and Denmark. NordMedia. Universitetet i Bergen.

Figenschou, Tine Ustad ; Ihlebæk, Karoline Andrea (2023). Understanding the challenger: The social skills of alternative media. NordMedia. Universitetet i Bergen.

Ihlebæk, Karoline Andrea ; Figenschou, Tine Ustad (2023). Understanding the challenger: The social skills of alternative media. Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance Seminar series. University of Canberra.

Ihlebæk, Karoline Andrea ; Figenschou, Tine Ustad (2023). Studying media criticism: an analytical model. Future of Journalism. School of Journalism, Media and Culture, Cardiff University.

Figenschou, Tine Ustad ; Ihlebæk, Karoline Andrea (2023). The social skills of alternative media. Future of Journalism. School of Journalism, Media and Culture, Cardiff University.

Pedersen, Leif Hemming; Figenschou, Tine Ustad ; Ihlebæk, Karoline Andrea ; Mayerhöffer, Eva (2023). Boundary-work in the Nordic media model: A comparative analysis of institutional responses to alternative media in Norway, Sweden and Denmark. Future of Journalism. School of Journalism, Media and Culture, Cardiff University.

Ihlebæk, Karoline Andrea ; Figenschou, Tine Ustad (2022). Far-right media, religion and populism. Actors, connections and contestations: Christianity, populism and media in a Nordic context. NOREMPO.

Ihlebæk, Karoline Andrea ; Figenschou, Tine Ustad (2022). Journalism as a Strategic Action Field: Studying alternative/professional relations. Norsk medieforskerkonferanse. Norsk medieforskerlag.

See all publications

These publications are obtained from Cristin. The list may be incomplete