Who are we?
These are the people organizing the Global Investigative Journalism Conference at Lillehammer.
Jan Gunnar Furuly, chairman
Jan Gunnar works for Aftenposten, where he has been employed since 1990. He is currently a staff travel reporter, but has held various positions, including managing news editor in the news room. He is a board member and webmaster for the Norwegian Foundation for Investigative Journalism (SKUP). He was also for two years the board leader in Environmental Journalists of Norway. He has held numerous workshops in journalistic methods and investigative reporting in Norway and throughout Eastern Europe, Central Europe, Balkan, Caucasus and Central Asia. He has a degree in journalism from Oslo University College.
Bibiana Piene, organizational secretary
Bibiana is the lone salaried employee for the 2008 GIJ Conference. She also works part-time at the foreign desk at the Norwegian News Agency (NTB). In addition, Bibiana also teaches journalism at a local high school. She holds a degree in journalism from the Oslo University College, and did her Masters degree on how international affairs are covered by the Norwegian media. Bibiana has previously worked for Adresseavisen, Bistandsaktuelt, Dagsavisen and NRK. She has also co-produced several documentaries.
Bent Botten, committee member
Bent is the news editor of Tidens Krav, a local paper on the northwest coast of Norway. He was previously a political reporter at Sunnmørsposten. He holds a degree from Volda University College, and has worked at MEMO, Hamar Arbeiderblad. Hallingdølen and Svalbardsposten. He sits on the advisory council for SKUP, and is a former board member. He also served in Lebanon as a UN peacekeeper.
Maria Konow Lund, committee member
Maria is pursuing her PhD at Lillehammer University College. She has previously taught journalism and television production at Bodø University College and at the University of Stavanger. She worked several years for NRK, where she mostly work in the news division and investigative unit. Maria is a board member of the Norwegian Foundation for Investigative Journalism.
Tarjei Leer-Salvesen, committee member
Tarjei is a researcher for the investigative unit at public broadcaster Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK). He has more than 10 years of experience from various written media, including Dagbladet, Ny Tid and Klassekampen. Tarjei has covered Norwegian foreign policy and defense issues, corporate social responsibilty, development aid and religious matters. He is also chairman of the board Internasjonal Reporter, a Norwegian journalism NGO which works to promote a more balanced reporting of third world issues.
Frode Nielsen, committee member
Frode is a reporter for Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation’s (NRK) investigative unit. He has worked as a journalist for more than 20 years, in both national and local newspapers. Frode has also been assistant director of the Norwegian Institute of Journalism. He has served as both board member and chairman of the Norwegian Foundation for Investigative Journalism.
Espen Reiss Mathiesen, committee member
Espen is responsible for the multimedia journalism curriculum at the University of Stavanger. He also teaches introductory courses, research skills, computer-assisted reporting, and civic journalism. For 18 years he worked at regional newspaper Stavanger Aftenblad, where he established the electronic text and picture archive and later worked as a political reporter covering the local and regional beat. Espen is a Fulbright scholar, a librarian, a historian, and holds a Masters degree in journalism from the University of South Florida. Previously he has worked at the U.S. Embassy in Norway and at the Research Council of Norway. He is a board member of the Norwegian Foundation for Investigative Journalism, and jury leader of a regional journalism prize.
Amund Trellevik, committee member
Amund started working as a freelancer for his local paper at the age of 18. He has since worked several newspapers, including Dagbladet, Heimevernsbladet, MEMO, and Aftenposten, where he currently works. Amund graduates with a journalism degree from Oslo University College in spring 2008, where he has been editor in chief of the studentpaper. He is a board member of the Oslo chapter of the Norwegian Journalism Union, and has served as editor of the SKUP conference paper the last two years. He is responsible for the conference program.