Marie Simonsen
{{short description|Norwegian journalist (born 1962)}}
Marie Heiberg Simonsen (born 1 June 1962) is a Norwegian journalist who since 2003 has been political editor in Dagbladet. She has previously worked for Dagens Næringsliv and VG.
Early life, education and career
Simonsen was born in BodøOlav Garvik, [http://snl.no/Marie_Heiberg_Simonsen Marie Heiberg Simonsen], Store norske leksikon. Retrieved 6 March 2014 and grew up on the west side of Oslo. Her father is the lawyer and Conservative politician Gustav Heiberg Simonsen.Bjarne Riiser Gundersen (17 April 2009), [http://morgenbladet.no/kultur/2009/overdommeren#.UxfXC4XxZ-w Overdommeren], Morgenbladet. Retrieved 6 March 2014
She studied law, literature and political science at the University of Oslo 1983–1985.Anne Viken (3 December 2003), [http://universitas.no/minstudietid/3972/mellom-dukser-og-raddiser Mellom dukser og raddiser], Universitas. Retrieved 6 March 2014 She started working as a journalist in Dagens Næringsliv in 1985 after having been recruited by Kåre Valebrokk. She headed the feature department for a while and was the paper's correspondent in London 1994–1997. She worked for VG 1997–2003 where she became head of the newspaper's commentary section. She has also held causeries in NRK radio. She participated in founding the Norwegian Foundation for Investigative Journalism (SKUP) in 1990.
Views
Simonsen has described her general political positions as in accordance with the liberal tradition of Dagbladet. She does not have any fixed preference for a particular political party. She has named Gro Harlem Brundtland as a role model.[http://www.dagbladet.no/tekstarkiv/artikkel.php?id=5001030032224 I seng med fienden] {{in lang|no}} Dagbladet. Retrieved 12 March 2014
A feminist, she favours affirmative action for women and opposes cash-for-care benefits for the parents of toddlers which she believes hinders gender equality and integration of immigrant women and their children.Robin Reistad Fiske (3 September 2011 [http://www.dagbladet.no/2011/09/03/nyheter/innenriks/politikk/regjeringen/kontantstotte/17955712/ Hareides kommentarer er bare vås] {{in lang|no}} Dagbladet. Retrieved 12 March 2014 Simonsen has expressed concern that women who are public figures are subject to more threats and harassment both online and in real life than men and that this causes women to stay away from public debate.Hilde Arnesen (5 December 2013) [http://www.vl.no/samfunn/daglig-sjikane/ Blir hetset hver dag, uansett hva hun skriver] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140312224706/http://www.vl.no/samfunn/daglig-sjikane/ |date=2014-03-12 }} {{in lang|no}} Vårt Land. Retrieved 12 March 2014 Having experienced much internet harassment as well as real life threats, Simonsen has voiced concern that women in public life experience more and graver cyberbullying and threats than men, and that this may cause many women to stay out of public debate.[http://www.vl.no/samfunn/daglig-sjikane/ Blir hetset hver dag, uansett hva hun skriver] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140312224706/http://www.vl.no/samfunn/daglig-sjikane/ |date=2014-03-12 }} Vårt Land. Retrieved 15 March 2014. She opposes the Norwegian monarchy and the Norwegian state church.
In 2007, Simonsen commented on the paramedics incident in Oslo 2007 and wrote that the paramedics that refused aid to Ali Farah would not have behaved in the same way if Farah had been the ethnic Norwegian Hydro CEO Eivind Reiten. She further wrote: "This week, we were forced to see what we didn't want to see. It was the ugly and unmerciful effect of racism".Own translation from Norwegian: «Denne uken ble vi tvunget til å se det vi ikke ville se. Det var rasismens stygge og ubarmhjertige konsekvens». Quoted from the 2014 article [http://www.bt.no/meninger/kommentar/eikefjord/Svineriet-i-parken-3072943.html#.UyQ3W4Vti8A Svineriet i parken] by Eirin Eikefjord in Bergens Tidende which cites Marie Simonsen's 2007 article "Skrekk og avsky" One of the paramedics sued Dagbladet for their coverage of the incident and in 2014, the Supreme Court of Norway ordered Dagbladet to pay Erik Schjenken, one of the two paramedics, 200,000 Norwegian kroner in compensation for false allegations of racism, based on the commentary of Simonsen and two other writers for the paper.[http://www.bt.no/meninger/kommentar/eikefjord/Svineriet-i-parken-3072943.html#.UyQ3W4Vti8A Svineriet i parken] {{in lang|no}} Bergens Tidende. Retrieved 15 March 2014 Dagbladet and other media leaders and journalists have called the ruling a threat to free journalism.Thorstein Hvattum (6 March 2014) [http://www.aftenposten.no/meninger/kommentarer/Et-varselskudd-mot-ytringsfriheten-7492266.html#.UyQ80IVti8A Et varselskudd mot ytringsfriheten] {{in lang|no}} Aftenposten. Retrieved 15 March 2014
Books
- Marie Simonsen and Ingunn Yssen (2010): Bråk! Den store likestillingssvindelen. Aschehoug Forlag. {{ISBN|9788203291845}}
References
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Category:Norwegian newspaper journalists
Category:Norwegian newspaper reporters and correspondents
Category:Norwegian expatriates in England
Category:Norwegian political writers
Category:Norwegian women non-fiction writers
Category:21st-century Norwegian women writers