He was born in
Tromsø, as a son of Henry Kristian Kristoffersen (1896–1981) and Klara Henriette Olufsen (1897–1984). He finished his secondary education in 1951 and graduated from the
Norwegian Journalist Academy in 1954. In the same year he became an apprentice of hometown newspaper
Nordlys. He was promoted to subeditor in 1964, feature editor in 1974 and political editor in 1976. His only absence from
Nordlys came in 1972 when he was press secretary for the Norwegian
UN delegation, and from 1979 to 1981 when he was a
State Secretary for the
Labour Party in the
Ministry of Fisheries. From 1982 to his retirement in 1997 he was the editor-in-chief. He was known for supporting
Norwegian European Communities membership in 1972, but opposing
Norwegian European Union membership in 1994. After retiring he has been
adjunct docent at
Bodø University College and an adviser at the
University of Tromsø. From 1998 to 2001 he chaired the
Broadcasting Council. He was decorated with the
HM The King's Medal of Merit in 1997 and the
Fritt Ord Honorary Award in 2000. == Personal life ==