Two new Christian news platforms launched

Two former employees of the Christian newspaper Norge Idag in Norway have started a new online news platform: Verdinytt.

Currently, the website is in the setting up phase, journalists Tor-Bjørn Nordgaard and Svend Ole Kvilesjø, who are behind the website, say. The news platform aims to bring "a wide selection of news and current affairs" based on "Evangelical Christian grounds", the founders write on the new website. Christian values are to be the focus of the news website. "Verdinytt.no will promote faith in the Bible as the Word of God, the inviolable value of human life and the creative power of Christian values in society", the founders say.

Norge Idag

Tor-Bjørn Nordgaard is the editor-in-chief of Verdinytt. For the past six years, he worked as an online editor for Norge Idag's news platform. He has 16 years of experience in journalism and wrote books.

Svend Ole Kvilesjø also worked for Norge Idag as a journalist, Dagen writes. He will become the general news manager and multimedia news broadcaster at Verdinytt.

Both Nordgaard and Kvilesjø left their former employer Norge Idag after a conflict between editor-in-chief Finn Jarle Sæle and his assistant editor and potential successor, Bjarte Ystebø. They supported Ystebø and resigned after he stepped out of the company.

Even though Ystebø is not part of the company, he does support it, Verdinytt reports. Every Tuesday, Ystebø and his former Norge Idag colleague Linn Myhr will appear on a broadcast called "Live with friends." In addition, they will submit contributions on the website.

Norway has two leading Christian newspapers, Dagen and Vart Land. In addition, it has the online Christian platform Norge Idag.

Swiss newspaper

Also, in Switzerland, a new Christian medium was launched. It is called Swiss-cath.ch and has been online since October 10. The new platform represents conservative positions on social and political issues, Livenet reports. For example, it promotes the protection of life from conception to natural death and the idea that marriage is a union between a man and a woman.

The editor-in-chief is Niklaus Herzog, a 71-year-old theologian and lawyer. He was a judge at the Interdiocesan Swiss Ecclessiastical Court and politically active against automatic organ donation and "marriage for all." Thus, he is quite well-known among Swiss Christians."

Herzog is supported by Rosmarie Schärer, who is a theologian and a journalist, and by several freelancers.

Herzog says that the news website aims to "report calmly, impartially and transparently about church life in Switzerland and around the world."

According to Katholisch.de, the new website is also a counterproject against Kath.ch which takes a progressive course. Kath.ch is run by the Swiss Bishops' Conference and the Roman Catholic Central Conference. It gives quite a bit of space to LGBT topics, for example, Livenet writes.