Christian A. R. Christensen
Encyclopedia
Christian A. R. Christensen (17 December 1906 – 27 January 1967) 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. He also helped shape the Ethical Code of Practice for the Norwegian Press
.
as a son of merchant Nils Christian Christensen (1872–1957) and his wife Ellen Kristine Reiersen (1883–1953). He was a brother of Nils-Reinhardt Christensen. Following miscellaneous education, he was hired in Dagbladet
in 1926. In 1933 he married Else Marie Østvedt (1906–1982). They lived in Vestre Aker
. In 1934 Christensen was hired in the publishing house Aschehoug
. He also wrote news analyses for the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation radio
. Also, Christiansen was a deputy member of the Liberal Party of Norway national board.
and occupied by Germany as a part of World War II
. Christiansen participated for the Liberal Party in early negotiations with the occupying power, but as Germany seized tighter control in September 1940 Christiansen joined the Norwegian resistance
, and acted as a middle man between the Norwegian press and the Home Front. He co-founded the written organ of the Home Front, Bulletinen
. A co-founder was Einar Gerhardsen
, and editors were Christensen, Olaf Solumsmoen
and Olav Larssen
. Christensen also wrote news analyses for several illegal newspapers. He was arrested by the Nazi authorities in late February 1941, for "spy
ing", and sat for three months at Møllergata 19
and for five days in Grini concentration camp. While at Møllergata 19 he penned the crime novel Telefon til myrdede, issued in 1942. He also continued writing news analyses, which were smuggled out of the prison. Upon release in late May 1942, he continued his work. In 1943 he was arrested for the second time. Via Gjerpen
and Larvik
he was brought to Grini, and sat there from 19 to 31 August.
, but this did not go through. Instead a new newspaper with roots in the Home Front was created, with Christensen as editor-in-chief: Verdens Gang
. He remained editor-in-chief until his death. From 1953 he co-edited with Oskar Hasselknippe
, and he was succeeded by Vegard Sletten
. Despite initial hardships, the newspaper grew influent and has been the largest in Norway since 1981. In 1963 it assumed the tabloid format as the first in Norway, reportedly to Christensen's dismay. Christensen also chaired the Norwegian Press Association
from 1958 to 1962, and was instrumental in establishing the Rights and Duties of the Editor code in 1953 and for the revision of the Ethical Code of Practice for the Norwegian Press
in 1956. This was the first revision since the code's inauguration in 1936.
He also participated in the non-press sphere after the war; already in 1944 he helped shape the Common Platform (Fellesprogrammet) which was meant to unite political parties in Norway after the war. In May 1945 he supported Paal Berg, head of Hjemmefrontens Ledelse in his endeavors to create a broad, non-partisan coalition. The road was open as the pre-war cabinet Nygaardsvold
resigned, but the increasingly popular Communist Party
were particularly skeptical to Berg, and the Conservative
President of the Storting C. J. Hambro got his way in reconvening the pre-war Parliament of Norway. Berg faced unexpected opposition from this Parliament, and gave up on 20 June. Instead Einar Gerhardsen formed a cabinet, and also won the first free post-war election
.
Christensen was a board member of the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs and the Norwegian News Agency
. In addition, he continued his writing of historical books. Notable works included Fra verdenskrig til verdenskrig ('From World War to World War') and Okkupasjonsår og etterkrigstid ('Occupation Years and Post-war Era'), volumes eight and nine of the series Vårt folks historie ('Our People's History'), both issued in 1961. He died of a heart attack while on a cruise
in 1967, in a hospital in Las Palmas.
Norwegian resistance movement
The Norwegian resistance to the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany began after Operation Weserübung in 1940 and ended in 1945. It took several forms:...
, as editor of Verdens Gang
Verdens Gang
Verdens Gang , generally known under the abbreviation VG, is a Norwegian tabloid newspaper...
and as a historical writer. He also helped shape the Ethical Code of Practice for the Norwegian Press
Ethical Code of Practice for the Norwegian Press
The Ethical Code of Practice for the Norwegian Press is a code regularing journalism ethics and standards in Norway.It was first written in 1936. In 1956 it was rewritten for the first time, with important contributions from Verdens Gang editor Christian A. R. Christensen...
.
Early life
He was born in SolumSolum, Norway
Solum is a former municipality in Telemark county, Norway.The parish of Solum was established as a municipality January 1, 1838 . According to the 1835 census the municipality had a population of 3,557. Solum is located west of the city Skien, and encompassed districts such as Nenset, Tollnes,...
as a son of merchant Nils Christian Christensen (1872–1957) and his wife Ellen Kristine Reiersen (1883–1953). He was a brother of Nils-Reinhardt Christensen. Following miscellaneous education, he was hired in Dagbladet
Dagbladet
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....
in 1926. In 1933 he married Else Marie Østvedt (1906–1982). They lived in Vestre Aker
Vestre Aker
Vestre Aker is a borough of the city of Oslo, Norway.The previous municipality Aker was merged into the city of Oslo in 1948.The borough of Vestre Aker was organized as part of the 1 January 2004 reform. Previous boroughs...
. In 1934 Christensen was hired in the publishing house Aschehoug
Aschehoug
H. Aschehoug & Co , commonly known as Aschehoug, is one of the largest independent publishing companies in Norway. -History:...
. He also wrote news analyses for the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
. Also, Christiansen was a deputy member of the Liberal Party of Norway national board.
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...
. Christiansen participated for the Liberal Party in early negotiations with the occupying power, but as Germany seized tighter control in September 1940 Christiansen joined the Norwegian resistance
Norwegian resistance movement
The Norwegian resistance to the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany began after Operation Weserübung in 1940 and ended in 1945. It took several forms:...
, and acted as a middle man between the Norwegian press and the Home Front. He co-founded the written organ of the Home Front, Bulletinen
Bulletinen
Bulletinen was an underground newspaper in Norway during World War II. Its first issue came in November 1940, and the publication continued until the end of the war. The name Bulletinen was adapted in November 1944...
. A co-founder was Einar Gerhardsen
Einar Gerhardsen
was a Norwegian politician from the Labour Party of Norway. He was Prime Minister for three periods, 1945–1951, 1955–1963 and 1963–1965. With 17 years in office, he is the longest serving Prime Minister in Norway since the introduction of parliamentarism...
, and editors were Christensen, Olaf Solumsmoen
Olaf Solumsmoen
Olaf Solumsmoen was a Norwegian newspaper editor and politician for the Labour Party.He was born in Sigdal, and decided to be a stenographer. He was hired in the Labour Party newspaper Fremtiden in Drammen, where he also was involved in local politics. He eventually left stenography to become a...
and Olav Larssen
Olav Larssen
Olav Larssen was a Norwegian newspaper editor.He was a typographer by education. He edited the Labour Party newspapers Demokraten in Hamar from 1920 to 1927, and Hamar Arbeiderblad from 1927 to 1935. In 1935 he was hired as a journalist in Arbeiderbladet...
. Christensen also wrote news analyses for several illegal newspapers. He was arrested by the Nazi authorities in late February 1941, for "spy
SPY
SPY is a three-letter acronym that may refer to:* SPY , ticker symbol for Standard & Poor's Depositary Receipts* SPY , a satirical monthly, trademarked all-caps* SPY , airport code for San Pédro, Côte d'Ivoire...
ing", and sat for three months at Møllergata 19
Møllergata 19
Møllergata 19 is an address in Oslo, Norway where the city's main police station and jail was located. The address gained notoriety during the German occupation from 1940 to 1945, when the Nazi security police kept its headquarters here...
and for five days in Grini concentration camp. While at Møllergata 19 he penned the crime novel Telefon til myrdede, issued in 1942. He also continued writing news analyses, which were smuggled out of the prison. Upon release in late May 1942, he continued his work. In 1943 he was arrested for the second time. Via Gjerpen
Gjerpen
Gjerpen is a former township which is now part of the municipality of Skien, in Telemark county, Norway.-Location:The parish of Gjerpen was established as a municipality January 1, 1838 . According to the 1835 census the municipality had a population of 4,381. Gjerpen was located east of the city...
and Larvik
Larvik
is a city and municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Larvik. Larvik kommune - has about 41 364 inhabitants and covers 530 km2....
he was brought to Grini, and sat there from 19 to 31 August.
Later career
After the war, some members of the Home Front discussed a restart of the newspaper Tidens TegnTidens Tegn
Tidens Tegn is a former Norwegian newspaper, issued in Oslo from 1910 to 1941.-Editors:The founder and first editor-in-chief of Tidens Tegn was Ola Thommessen, who edited the newspaper until 1917. Thommessen had recently left the editor chair of Verdens Gang in protest, bringing much of Verdens...
, but this did not go through. Instead a new newspaper with roots in the Home Front was created, with Christensen as editor-in-chief: Verdens Gang
Verdens Gang
Verdens Gang , generally known under the abbreviation VG, is a Norwegian tabloid newspaper...
. He remained editor-in-chief until his death. From 1953 he 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....
, and he was succeeded by Vegard Sletten
Vegard Sletten
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...
. Despite initial hardships, the newspaper grew influent and has been the largest in Norway since 1981. In 1963 it assumed the tabloid format as the first in Norway, reportedly to Christensen's dismay. Christensen also chaired 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'...
from 1958 to 1962, and was instrumental in establishing the Rights and Duties of the Editor code in 1953 and for the revision of the Ethical Code of Practice for the Norwegian Press
Ethical Code of Practice for the Norwegian Press
The Ethical Code of Practice for the Norwegian Press is a code regularing journalism ethics and standards in Norway.It was first written in 1936. In 1956 it was rewritten for the first time, with important contributions from Verdens Gang editor Christian A. R. Christensen...
in 1956. This was the first revision since the code's inauguration in 1936.
He also participated in the non-press sphere after the war; already in 1944 he helped shape the Common Platform (Fellesprogrammet) which was meant to unite political parties in Norway after the war. In May 1945 he supported Paal Berg, head of Hjemmefrontens Ledelse in his endeavors to create a broad, non-partisan coalition. The road was open as the pre-war cabinet Nygaardsvold
Cabinet Nygaardsvold
Nygaardsvold's Cabinet was appointed on 20 March 1935, the second Labour cabinet in Norway. It closed the brought to an end the non-socialist, minority Governments that had been dominating politics since the introduction of the parliamentary system in 1884, and replaced it with stable, Labour...
resigned, but the increasingly popular Communist Party
Communist Party of Norway
The Communist Party of Norway is a political party in Norway without parliamentary representation. It was formed in 1923, following a split in the Norwegian Labour Party. The party played an important role in the resistance to German occupation during the Second World War, and experienced a brief...
were particularly skeptical to Berg, and the Conservative
Conservative Party of Norway
The Conservative Party is a Norwegian political party. The current leader is Erna Solberg. The party was since the 1920s consistently the second largest party in Norway, but has been surpassed by the growth of the Progress Party in the late 1990s and 2000s...
President of the Storting C. J. Hambro got his way in reconvening the pre-war Parliament of Norway. Berg faced unexpected opposition from this Parliament, and gave up on 20 June. Instead Einar Gerhardsen formed a cabinet, and also won the first free post-war election
Norwegian parliamentary election, 1945
These elections were held on 8 October 1945. The Labour Party won an absolute majority in the Storting which they would keep until 1961.-Results:...
.
Christensen was a board member of the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs and the Norwegian News Agency
Norwegian News Agency
The Norwegian News Agency is a Norwegian press agency and wire service that serves many of the largest Norwegian media outlets. It also cooperates closely with the photo agency Scanpix, in which it has a 50% ownership share.NTB was founded in 1867...
. In addition, he continued his writing of historical books. Notable works included Fra verdenskrig til verdenskrig ('From World War to World War') and Okkupasjonsår og etterkrigstid ('Occupation Years and Post-war Era'), volumes eight and nine of the series Vårt folks historie ('Our People's History'), both issued in 1961. He died of a heart attack while on a cruise
Cruising (maritime)
Cruising by boat is a lifestyle that involves living for extended time on a boat while traveling from place to place for pleasure. Cruising generally refers to trips of a few days or more, and can extend to round-the-world voyages.- History :...
in 1967, in a hospital in Las Palmas.