Klassekampen thought last week they were doing an interview with Norwegian writer Anne Holt about digital habits.

It turned out that the journalist, Hannah Bull Thorvik, had called another woman with the same name as Holt, who also allowed herself to be interviewed.

That led to an article in which the Norwegian author was quoted, in an article he definitely didn’t apply for.

– Complete incompetence

On Monday, the “real Holt” ran amok once again in Facebook posts, following one Thorvik posted to his social media.

Thorvik is said to have posted the image on Facebook and Instagram with the caption:

“Any reader of a Norwegian newspaper knows I’ve gone to the hilarious SHMELL in Klassekampen Saturday – and I’m living pretty well on it, even if it stole the entire afternoon’s wedding dinner. Now I have to have some cake. What a weekend !”

It seems that the post and accompanying text caused Holt to react.

– Everyone can make mistakes, and mistakes must be forgiven, but total and complete incompetence and lack of ability to accept self-criticism are quite a different matter, writes Holt.

Dagbladet tried to contact Hannah Bull Thorvik, so far without success.

Anne Holt told Dagbladet she had no further comment on the case.

Asked about the interview

Holt wrote in a Facebook post that he had seen people express “pity and concern” for Thorvik, who was interviewing “another Anne Holt”. The author asks those who feel this way to calm down. Because that’s what journalists do, Holt wrote of journalist posts.

– Meaning: he finds it very easy. Just moments after he realized his mistake and presumably received a scratch from his editor, he sent me the following message, wrote Holt further, and inserted excerpts from what was supposed to be a text message to Holt from Thorvik.

Thorvik is said to have requested an interview with the real Holt and justified his answer by saying that he thought “readers will appreciate the interview with the real Anne Holt”.

Rundlurte Media-Norway

– Unprof

The chief editor of Klassekampen, Mari Skurdal, commented on the statement to Dagbladet:

– They are not very humble in a situation where the newspapers have messed up, Skurdal told Dagbladet.

The editor said he was aware of Thorvik’s post on Saturday and that it should be removed from Instagram.

– Were they removed because Klassekampen asked for it?

– It was a recommendation from Klassekampen, but I think he also realized it, but obviously too late, said Skurdal.

– It’s unprofessional to post something like that. It could explode after we corrected it, but now there will be another small loop. Everyone should be aware of that.

Skardal says that Thorvik is at work today, and they will follow up on this case further.

– It’s a little embarrassing, after standing up and talking to all the media, that there will be another chapter now, but this time it was, said Skurdal.

On the other hand, Skurdal also understood that Thorvik wanted to speak up.

– He has a need to show that he’s not completely on his knees after receiving a lot of messages about what he’s up to. She sat down at her brother’s wedding dinner, and tried to act a little cool and cheery by telling him everything was fine, in a cool way. In a very humble way. It was unprofessional in such a situation, and I don’t think he thought it would come out in public, said Skurdal.

– It’s unprofessional and not particularly humble, but nevertheless, there is something human there.

– Fly, jump, smash, kill annoyed

This isn’t the first time since the interview came out that Holt has taken to Facebook. On Saturday, Holt wrote that he had never spoken to Thorvik.

– I was often angrier than now. But I’ve never, ever been so angry on my own behalf like this. I fly, jump, destroy, kill in annoyance. Kudos to Mari Skurdal for lying face down on behalf of her “journalist”, and for wanting to follow up on this case. Otherwise, it would simply disappear, concluded Holt.

Following the publication of an interview with Holt, the Klassekampen editor, Mari Skurdal, has apologized on behalf of Klassekampen.

– It’s a shame, but we have to fix it to the best of our ability. We have to fix this problem and write proper corrections in the newspapers by Monday, so that no one believes that this is the writer Anne Holt who has spoken to us, Skurdal told Dagbladet on Saturday.

– So this is a reminder to us and other journalists to always make sure you’re talking to the right people.

Of note, Hannah Bull Thorvik was a TV and film critic at Dagbladet for the period 2019 to 2022.

Correction: In earlier versions of this case, it was suggested that editor-in-chief Mari Skurdal considered the Klassekampen journalists to be incompetent. Skardal didn’t think so.

Dagbladet correction.