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
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
The Freedom to Disagree: 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, Eyerusalem Tesemma, Candice Holdsworth
How can societies distinguish legitimate disagreement from harmful distortion? Panelists discuss.....Modeling Productive Disagreement
In an increasingly polarized public sphere, political choices are framed as binary, and the space.....Should Democracies Defend Other Nations’ Freedoms?
Panelists debate whether wealthy democracies have a moral duty to support.....Lunch
Scandic Lillehammer Hotel13:00-14:00
Session
Breakouts and Workshops – Under Pressure: How Power Siliences Dissent
Lillehammersalen14:00 - 15:15
Slaying SLAPPs: Defending Expression Against Legal Intimidation
Scott Griffen, Iliana Papangeli, Jon Wessel-Aas, Ingrid Sandberg
Strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) are increasingly used to silence.....14:00 - 15:15
The Future of Publishing: Making Space for Young Voices
This intergenerational workshop will consider the future of the book sector and look at how young.....Session
Free Expression under Global Pressure
Lillehammersalen15:45-17:00
Criminalized Voices: The Costs of Dissent
What does it mean to criticize power when disagreement itself is treated as a crime? In this.....The Marginalization of Moderates
When positions harden, dialogue becomes more difficult, and isolation can deepen. Today, boycotts.....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
Dinner with Award Ceremonies
Join us for a semi-formal dinner with a three-course meal served at the tables, as we celebrate and.....
