Christian Friele

A black-and-white drawing of a middle-aged man dressed in a long coat. He wears glasses and a beaver hat. In his left arm are a walking stick and a copy of a newspaper.
Christian Friele, drawing by Andreas Bloch

Christian Frederik Gotfried Friele (22 May 1821 – 24 January 1899) was a Norwegian newspaper editor. Born in Bergen to a prosperous family, he received a deficient education, but managed nevertheless to find his way into the conservative Morgenbladet newspaper. As its editor-in-chief, he became known for his wit and sharp-tongued remarks; he ruthlessly derided key contemporary political figures as "clerical lutefisk" and "royal stable jacks".[1][2] In the 1884 impeachment case against Prime Minister Christian August Selmer, Friele sided with Selmer, and retreated from his position as editor of Morgenbladet following the court's verdict. Firmly believing that orders of merit would compromise his integrity as editor, he twice declined the offer of being rewarded the Order of St. Olav.

  1. ^ Hambro 1921, p. 156.
  2. ^ Gjerløw 1970, p. 42.