WEXFO 2026
Program
Arena: Scandic Lillehammer Hotel
Hosts: Arizza Nocum (KRIS) and Chetan Rastogi (NRK)
The Freedom to Disagree
Session
Disagreement Drives Democracy
Lillehammersalen09:30-11:10
Artistic Performance
Musical performace by singer and artist Ramy Essam.Opening Remarks
Ingunn Trosholmen, Hans Olav Sundfør, Arizza Nocum, Chetan Rastogi
Opening remarks by WEXFO CEO Ingunn Trosholmen and Lillehammer Mayor Hans Olav Sundfør.The Freedom to Disagree in a Fracturing World
Global power shifts are shrinking the space for dissent - not only through political pressure, but.....Democracy Dies without Disagreement: The Numbers
Staffan I. Lindberg from the V-Dem Institute presents the newest findings from the world’s.....“I Disagree!”
The future of disagreement belongs to the next generation. Young people from around the world.....
Session
Drawing the Lines: the Boundaries of Disagreement
Lillehammersalen11:30-13:00
Why Democracies Depend on Friction
Drawing on her personal journey from extremism to bridge building, Megan Phelps-Roper explores how.....Truth, Harm and Limits: Who Decides What Can Be Expressed?
Megan Phelps-Roper, Mark Lievisse Adriaanse, Candice Holdsworth
How can societies distinguish legitimate disagreement from harmful distortion? Panelists discuss.....The Marginalization of Moderates
When positions harden, dialogue becomes more difficult, and isolation can deepen. Today, boycotts.....Lunch
Scandic Lillehammer Hotel13:00-14:00
Session
Breakouts and Workshops – Under Pressure: How Power Silences Dissent
Lillehammersalen14:00 - 15:15
Slaying SLAPPs: Defending Expression Against Legal Intimidation
Scott Griffen, Iliana Papangeli, Jon Wessel-Aas, Ingrid Sandberg
PANEL: Strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) are increasingly used to silence.....14:00 - 15:15
The Future of Publishing: Making Space for Young Voices
WORKSHOP: This intergenerational workshop will consider the future of the book sector and look at.....14:00 - 15:15
Art Under Pressure: Storytelling in the Shadow of Censorship
WORKSHOP: How do artists and cultural institutions respond to pressure, censorship, and controversy.....Session
Free Expression under Global Pressure
Lillehammersalen15:45-17:00
Criminalized Voices: The Costs of Dissent and Ways to Fight Back
What does it mean to criticize power when disagreement itself is treated as a crime? In this.....Modeling Productive Disagreement
Sam Rechek introduces the framework behind Modeling Productive Disagreement, outlining why.....Should Democracies Defend Other Nations’ Freedoms?
Samuel Rechek, Freddy Guevara, Dina Ghalibaf, Tyler Tone, Fatemah Farag
Panelists debate whether wealthy democracies have a moral duty to support.....Bearing Witness: From Tiananmen to Hong Kong
This keynote is grounded in two decades of fieldwork on the preservation of historical memory.....Session
Dinner
Lillehammersalen19:00
