Vebjørn Selbekk

Vebjørn Selbekk (born 14 April 1969) is a Norwegian newspaper editor and author. Selbekk became widely known in Norway and abroad after he in 2006 reprinted a facsimile of the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons as editor of the Christian newspaper Magazinet (now Dagen), sparking a major incident and ensuing controversy. He has since been awarded by the free press organization Fritt Ord for his "firm defence of freedom of expression". Since 2015 he has been a member of the Broadcasting Council of the Norwegian public broadcaster NRK.

Early life, education and work Born in Trondheim, Selbekk grew up in Meråker Municipality in Nord-Trøndelag. His mother grew up in East Germany, until the family fled and she was sent to Trondheim as a nine-year old. Selbekk has a cand.mag. degree from the University of Trondheim in history, Christianity and social science. He is a self-described Christian Zionist, supporting the state of Israel from a Christian as well as secular perspectives. He is strongy against the European Union. His father was a local elected member of the Christian People's party. Selbekk privately received numerous death threats, and was forced to go into hiding with body guards and police protection. Selbekk has strongly criticized what he has described as being singled out as a "public enemy", making him a "legitimate target" amid death threats against himself and his family. He believes that as long as there is news relevance, images should be published regardless if someone could be offended or disagree with it. The two editors were "honoured for their firm defence of freedom of expression throughout 10 years of caricature controversy."

Authorship Selbekk has written several books:

2001: Jødehat på norsk ("Norwegian Jew-hatred") 2006: Truet av islamister ("Threatened by Islamists"), about the events surrounding the publication of the Muhammad caricatures. 2007: T.B. Barratt - forfulgt og etterfulgt. ("T.B. Barratt - persecuted and followed") 2013: Korset og Davidsstjernen - Norge jødene og Israel fra 1814 til idag ("The Cross and the Star of David - Norway, the Jews and Israel from 1814 until today") 2016: Fryktens makt ("The power of fear")