Overview of this campaign

In an evolving media landscape characterized by growing mistrust and digital misinformation, VG wants to show young people that traditional media does investigative journalism as part of a societal mission. While young Norwegians do have high trust in the media, this trust must be earned every day. To ensure that traditional media have a role in the future news consumption, we need to meet the younger audiences on their terms and prove why editor-controlled journalism matters.

Through this focus on investigative journalism,VG aimed to:

1. Build Trust: Highlight that investigative journalism is central to VG’s mission, serving the public and holding others accountable. The coverage showed how these stories impact lives and drive real change.
   
   

2. Make Investigative Journalism Accessible: Utilize platforms like TikTok and Instagram to reach Gen Z, breaking down complex stories into engaging, visually compelling, and shareable formats. The goal was to translate journalistic depth into digestible and impactful short-form content.
   
   

3. Engage Audiences with Consequences: VG has not only highlighted investigative revelations but also focused on how journalism drives change — like political actions, public debates, and reforms. We’ve also prioritized answering young people’s questions, explaining our editorial decisions, and making journalism easier to understand.

4. Fortify the Future of Journalism: By engaging younger demographics on their platforms, VG aimed to prove the ongoing relevance and necessity of editor-driven journalism to new generations, fostering a relationship that earns and maintains trust.

Strategies included:

• Publishing over 15 videos tied to investigative stories, using narrative techniques and formats resonant with youth audiences.

• Showcasing significant cases, including the police’s use of undercover agents, abuse in the healthcare sector, and a comprehensive mapping of all murder cases in Norway over the past 25 years, to capture curiosity and spark discussion.

• Leveraging interactive elements like direct replies in the comment section, to foster engagement and feedback loops.

Through these methods, VG demonstrated its commitment to making investigative journalism not only relevant but indispensable to the younger generation, reinforcing its societal mission.

 

Results for this campaign

VG’s campaign proved highly effective, blending engagement metrics with broader societal impact. Key results include:

1. Reach and Engagement:

• Over 3.5 million total views on investigative journalism videos across TikTok and Instagram in 2024.

 

2. Trust and Recognition:

• Feedback showed that young people value the opportunity to ask constructive questions about VG’s investigative journalism. They want to be critical to us, and we actively encourage that. Comments indicated that young audiences are gaining a better understanding of the role traditional media plays in a democracy.
  
  

• The initiative bolsters VG’s reputation as a trusted, innovative news brand, aligning with Norway’s high media trust rankings.
  
  

3. Consequential Journalism:

• Beyond engagement, these stories sparked national conversations, political responses, and tangible changes, reinforcing investigative journalism’s value.
  
  

• VG then effectively communicated these outcomes through social media, showcasing journalism’s power to influence societal change.

By bridging investigative reporting and platform-specific strategies, VG positioned itself as a forward-thinking, mission-driven media outlet, proving that meaningful journalism resonates with younger audiences and contributes to a better-informed society.

 

Contact

To contact a company representative about this campaign, click here for the INMA Member Directory