Asbjørn Engen (31 October 1917 – 17 October 1985) was a Norwegian newspaper editor and organizational leader. In 1948 he was hired as secretary general in ''Landsforeningen mot kreft''. It was newly founded at the time, and is since a 1998 merger known as the Norwegian Cancer Association. In 1950 Engen moved on to become a journalist in ''

Morgenposten ''Morgenposten'' is a former Norwegian newspaper, issued in Oslo from 1861 to 1971. It was the largest newspaper in Norway from the 1870s until the early 1900s, when its name was ''Christiania Nyheds- og Avertissements-Blad'', also nicknamed ''Sv ...

''. He became manager in 1951, and editor-in-chief in 1951. He withdrew from this position shortly before the takeover by industrialist

Sverre Munck Sverre Munthe-Kaas Munck (5 July 1898 – 26 January 1970) was a Norwegian businessperson. Early life and career He was born in Høvik as the son of dean Oskar Albert Munck (1868–1956) and Mathilde Munthe-Kaas (1871–1906). He was also a great ...

. Between 1967 and the early 1980s he worked as information director in

Scandinavian Airlines System Scandinavian Airlines, more commonly known and styled as SAS, is the flag carrier of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. ''SAS'' is an abbreviation of the company's full name, Scandinavian Airlines System or legally Scandinavian Airlines System Denmark ...

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

. He was a member of the board of directors of the Norwegian Journalist Academy for ten years. He was also a board member of ''Norske Avisers Landsforening'', since a 1992 merger known as the

Norwegian Media Businesses' Association The Norwegian Media Businesses' Association ( no, Mediebedriftenes Landsforening, MBL) is an employers' organisation in Norway, organized under the national Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise The Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise ( no, Nær ...

, He was decorated as Knight, First Class of the

Order of the White Rose of Finland The Order of the White Rose of Finland ( fi, Suomen Valkoisen Ruusun ritarikunta; sv, Finlands Vita Ros’ orden) is one of three official orders in Finland, along with the Order of the Cross of Liberty, and the Order of the Lion of Finland. ...

and the

Order of the Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog ( da, Dannebrogordenen) is a Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single class known a ...

. He died in October 1985. Long after his death it became known that

Libertas Libertas (Latin for 'liberty' or 'freedom', ) is the Roman goddess and personification of liberty. She became a politicised figure in the Late Republic, featured on coins supporting the populares faction, and later those of the assassins of Jul ...

, a semi-secret libertarian organization, had owned ''Morgenposten'' (as well as ''

Verdens Gang ''Verdens Gang'' ("The course of the world"), generally known under the abbreviation ''VG'', is a Norwegian tabloid newspaper. In 2016, circulation numbers stood at 93,883, having declined from a peak circulation of 390,510 in 2002. ''VG'' is n ...

'') during his entire period as editor-in-chief. It has been said that Engen, with this backing, "politicized" the formerly "apolitical" newspaper.

References

1910s births 1985 deaths Norwegian newspaper editors Norwegian expatriates in Sweden Knights First Class of the Order of the Dannebrog 20th-century Norwegian writers {{Norway-writer-stub