He finished his secondary education in Kristiania in 1932, and started as a journalist in Fedrelandslaget's publication ABC.
He was one of the early muckraker journalists, and gained fame when he discovered a secret weapons sale from Norway to Fulgencio Batista.
His main interests were foreign affairs in general, especially the Baltic countries, as well as defence policy.
[1] He became acting editor-in-chief of Norges Handels- og Sjøfartstidende in 1961, and then served as chief editor from 1962 to 1978.
[3] Baalsrud continued writing after his official retirement, and released several books,[2] among others for the Institutt for Forsvarsopplysning.