Freedom of the press - the world's oldest
In 1766, Sweden was the first country in the world to legislate on freedom of the press. The Freedom of the Press Ordinance (TF) is one of Sweden's constitutions and protects the right to freely print and distribute writings. The state cannot preview or censor what is printed.
The principle of openness – openness in administration
The principle of openness (also called the openness of documents) is part of the Freedom of the Press Ordinance and means that all public documents of state and municipal authorities are public as a basic rule. Anyone can request access to e-mails, decisions, minutes and other documents of an authority.
The authority is obliged to hand over the document promptly – normally the same day or the day after. If the authority refuses, you can appeal to the court. Secrecy (non-disclosure) requires support in law.
- Anyone can request public documents - you don't have to state why
- The authority must hand out the document quickly, normally the same day
- Privacy is the exception, openness is the rule
- Documents can be classified if, e.g. security issues or protection of personal data
Responsible publisher
All regularly published media – newspapers, magazines, websites with printed material – must have a responsible publisher. The responsible publisher is legally responsible for what is published and can be held accountable in court if publication violates the law.
Public service: SR, SVT and UR
Public service is the part of the media that is financed by public funds (via taxes) and which is supposed to serve the information needs of the entire population. They must be independent from political and commercial interests.
- Sweden's Radio (SR): nationwide and local radio; news, culture, music, documentary
- Sweden's Television (SVT): television channels; news, documentaries, drama, sports, children's programmes
- Utbildningsradion (UR): produces programs and material for education at all levels
Public service may not charge for advertising and must report objectively and impartially. They are financed via the public service charge which is levied via the tax bill.
Commercial media
Alongside public service there are commercial newspapers, radio and television channels. These are financed by advertising and subscription revenue. They are private companies but must comply with freedom of press and free speech legislation.
- Evening newspapers (single issue press): Aftonbladet, Expressen
- Morning newspapers (quality press): Dagens Nyheter (DN), Svenska Dagbladet (SvD)
- Regional newspapers: Göteborgs-Posten (GP), Sydsvenskan, Dagens Industri (DI)
- Commercial television: TV4 (largest commercial), Discovery+ and others.
Source criticism – reviewing information
In the information society, enormous amounts of information flow via the internet and social media. It is important to be able to assess whether information is credible and correct. Source criticism is the ability to critically examine and question information.
- Who has published the information? Is it a reputable medium or an unknown sender?
- When was the information published? Is it current?
- Which sources are referred to? Are the sources independent and credible?
- Can you find the same information in multiple independent sources?
- Does the purpose of the text seem to be to inform or to manipulate and create anger?
Disinformation – a threat to democracy
Disinformation is deliberately false information that is spread with the intention of misleading. Social media has made it possible to spread misinformation quickly and cheaply to many people. It can influence elections, undermine trust in institutions and increase polarization in society.
What is prohibited from publishing?
Despite the fact that freedom of expression is strong in Sweden, there are things you are not allowed to publish. These restrictions aim to protect the dignity of individuals and the safety of society.
- Defamation: spreading false information about a person that damages his reputation
- Incitement against a group of people: expressing hatred against a group based on ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, etc.
- Child pornography: total ban
- Information that harms the security of the kingdom (espionage)