Norge IDAG – The newspaper that paved the way

“Norge IDAG started on its knees during a prayer meeting in 1999,” says Bjarte Ystebø with great emphasis. This happened after a general meeting in the newspaper “Dagen” when Finn Jarle Sæle, who was then editor, and someone else, felt thrown out of the newspaper. They decided to start a new newspaper.

In the summer of 1999, the new newspaper saw the first light of day. Thanks to the help of good supporters such as Ludvig Karlsen in the Evangelical Center and others, the newspaper quickly became known and well received by the Christian people. Nearly 5,000 subscriptions were sold in the first half of the year.

Revival and weekly newspaper

“The idea was to make a weekly newspaper for the revival people. It was cheaper with a weekly newspaper than a daily newspaper. The idea was to increase the publishing frequency, but it remained a weekly newspaper. It has proved better to post news online, but keep the in-depth articles and deeper reflections on the paper edition,” says Ystebø.

Across denominations

While the dividing lines in “Dagen” at the time were between the Lutheran and the charismatic, Norge IDAG has another dividing line – those that were concerned with revival. “Norge IDAG made more material about revival, assessed history, politics and church activities through the glasses of revival,” Bjarte Ystebø explains.

Norge IDAG should not be owned by organizations or powerful shareholders, congregations or others. It was to be owned by the revival people. When people received opportunities, the Christian people subscribed for shares from 500 kroner to 100,000 kroner. Today there are 3,000 shareholders and no one has the opportunity to push the newspaper’s editorial line or in any other way interfere with the newspaper. “It is owned by the Christian people,” says Bjarte who does not rule out that new issues may come. “It depends on investments and new financial needs, but as of today the newspaper is quite robust in today’s investment level, thanks to the newspaper’s loyal readers,” says Bjarte Ystebø.

Ystebø – the face of operations

After an active 20 years, Bjarte Ystebø has become increasingly a visible representative of Norge IDAG and has also become a representative of what some would call “Christianity fundamentalists”, or rather “the revival people”. It started with Bjarte starting as a telephone salesman in 1999, shortly after the newspaper started. After only a couple of months, Finn Jarle Sæle, who was and still is the editor, saw that Bjarte would fit even better in the editorial office. Time passed and not long after he became assistant editor, which is still, after 20 years, his title and position.