Leader: Memories of a decade

MANAGER: Now, this so-called Chinese saying is based on a British 1930 century error. The closest to an original Chinese expression should be "宁 为 太平 犬 ， 莫 做 乱世 人" ("nothing like tàipíng quǎn, mò zuò luànshì rén").

In Norwegian, this can possibly be translated as: "It is better to live as a dog in peacetime than as a human in wartime." And that is exactly what a good part of the earth's population can feel something in. The so-called "Islamic State" (IS)'s spread from Iraq and Syria to ever new countries, now both Libya and possibly Afghanistan (see this week's Ny Tid, p 5), allows a peaceful dog life to appear better than the bestial terror now perpetrated against our fellow human beings.

At the same time, we see pro-Russian rebels – possibly regular Russians – putting large Jesus icons and Christian banners on their tanks during the fighting in eastern Ukraine. Then we also see why the myths of crusaders, Knights Templar and God's "holy war" not only still live with us in 2015. It seems that religious fanaticism is worse than in several centuries, since the Crusades in the 1100th century or the religious wars in the 1600th century .

At the same time, we also see another positive impetus, namely the backlash to the madness. It manifested itself last Saturday, February 21, 2015, when Rabbi Michael Melchior called out "Allahu akbar" in front of the synagogue at Bergstien 13 in Oslo. He did this in gratitude to the young Muslims who formed one "The Ring of Peace" around its Jewish citizens. In sum, this was the most positive event in Norway so far in 2015, not to mention the most constructive that has happened in this country in the last decade – after the Muhammad cartoon crisis began in 2005.

And while we're talking about decades: it's about the same time since the undersigned first took on the responsibility of running this newspaper, Ny Tid – in which busy Orientering. Next week and with the next issue taking Truls Lie, with long and good experience from the radical niche newspaper market, over leading this 62-year-old newspaper tradition further. And it will be an important continuation, regardless of the format you read us on – mobile, tablet, e-newspaper or on paper.

Because if there is ever a time when Norway needs the country's last left-wing, global-oriented and independent weekly newspaper, it is probably now – in the middle of the age of fanaticism. We live in a 2015 where extremists, religious fanatics, nationalists and populists fire each other up and spread prejudice more than knowledge. It is probably also the case that the blue government, which is one of Europe's most right-wing with a FRP in a central government position, may need all the critical pressure it can get. At the very least, the world and the Norwegian public can have a lot to gain from as many votes as possible in the Norwegian public.

The last decade has thus given cause for reflection, and it has provided experiences that one can also build on for the future. This newspaper was founded in 1953, eight years before there was any SF – which rather came as a source from Orienteringcircle.

When SV won the election and government power in September 2005, it became imperative for us to have to be completely free from the party – which was still a large minority owner. Chairman of the Board Åge Rosnes and board member Andreas Tinglum Olsen should be very thankful that they helped so that there was an overwhelming majority in SV who then voted for a complete secession in January 2006 – so that the freedom of the press and the separation of parties / media was further secured. A handful of party veterans then actively opposed the secession, which created unnecessarily much more difficult working conditions for the editorial staff. But in total, much exceeded all expectations when the publisher Damm, Tom Harald Jensen and Tom Dahl, took a brave risk and agreed to secure an independent and radical weekly newspaper in the future, then in magazine information.

Since then we have been through most things: From death threats from right-wing extremists for having voted Mari Kohinoor Nordberg to the Norwegian of the Year 2007, to a police report and accusations of "racism" from "good Norwegians" to print a chronicle from the biggest victim in Sofienbergparken, Ali Farah.

We have won Gold during this year's Media Days for one of «the most successful metamorphoses in editorial redesign in the kingdom of modern times». We have set a Norwegian circulation record 117 percent increase in one year. And our news stories and revelations have made New Time it most quoted weekly newspapers and the periodical publication in Norway five years in a row.

But we have also been seven hours from closure in August 2013, then previous owners tried to influence the radical and power-critical content of our newspaper. They did not succeed. Instead, we took up the fight for freedom of the press and expression, at any cost, because the Norwegian public debate and you who read it deserve it. The fights have cost. It is therefore time to pass on the baton, with the motto from the front Orienterings latest issue, August 13, 1975: "But ideas must not die." (Picture right: Finna Gustavsen (left) and Kjell Cordtsen watch in the past Orientering-issue.)

And on that occasion, we will also remember the most important, and most tragic, thing that has happened to us in the last decade: the killings and attacks on our colleagues. First it was our columnist Anna Politikovskaya. She was killed on October 7, 2006, right after she sent the undersigned an email from a memorial service at the school in Beslan. She wished me luck on my son's first day of school: "A great strep," she wrote. Then she was shot on Putin's birthday.

Then, on March 20, 2014, on the 11th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, we became our Kabul correspondent Ahmad Sardar Khan shot and killed at Serena Hotel with his wife and two children. Sardar was a star journalist for AFP, one of the few who could report with insight into what happened in the country. Now it's over.

Both Politkovskaya and Sardar are inalienable. The others who write for us, be it Elena Milasahina in Moscow, Ahmed Al-Kabariti in Gaza City or Nawal El-Saadawi and Cairo. A good world can not do without brave voices like these.

May we all have the courage to become more like them. Then maybe one day we will be able to live in less dangerous times than these. Thanks.

DAG HERBJØRNSRUD, outgoing editor

27. February 2015