Press, public service, source criticism and the principle of publicity
Prepare for the Swedish citizenship civic test with practice questions and explanations about Media and freedom of information.
Start practicing1766
The Freedom of the Press Ordinance was adopted in 1766 during the period of freedom in Sweden. It is the world's oldest valid law on freedom of the press and one of Sweden's constitutions.
That all documents held by authorities are public as a basic rule - anyone can request them
The principle of openness means that all public documents of authorities are public as a basic rule. Anyone can request to see e.g. e-mail or decision of an authority.
SR, SVT and UR
Swedish public service consists of Sveriges Radio (SR), Sveriges Television (SVT) and Utbildningsradion (UR). They are financed through tax and are free of advertising.
Via the public service charge which is levied via the tax
SVT and SR are financed via a public service charge which is collected via the tax bill. They must not make money from advertising and must be independent from political and commercial interests.
To be legally responsible for what is published in the media
The responsible publisher is legally responsible for what is published and can be sued if the publication violates the law, e.g. slander or incitement against a group of people.
To question and check whether information is correct – who said it, when, why?
Source criticism is the ability to critically examine information: who published it, when, with what sources, and can you verify it in other independent sources?
Defamation, incitement against ethnic groups and child pornography
Despite strong freedom of speech, defamation (spreading untrue information that damages another's reputation), incitement against ethnic groups and child pornography are prohibited from publication.
Evening newspapers (single-issue press)
Aftonbladet and Expressen are Swedish evening newspapers (single issue press). They are commercial and funded by advertising and subscriptions, unlike public services.
It can manipulate elections, undermine trust in institutions and polarize society
Disinformation threatens democracy by manipulating voter opinion, undermining trust in institutions and the media, and increasing polarization in society.
Yes, but privacy requires support in law; openness is the basic rule
Documents can be classified as confidential, but this requires legal support (the Publicity and Confidentiality Act). The basic rule is openness, and confidentiality is the exception that must be justified.
Dagens Nyheter and Svenska Dagbladet
Dagens Nyheter (DN) and Svenska Dagbladet (SvD) are morning newspapers of the quality press type. Aftonbladet and Expressen are evening newspapers.
They must report without favoring any political party or opinion
Impartiality means that the public service must report factually without favoring or disfavoring political parties or opinions. All important perspectives must be heard.
Yes, source protection is constitutionally protected in the Freedom of the Press Ordinance
Source protection is constitutionally protected in Sweden. Journalists do not have to reveal their sources, and authorities are prohibited from trying to find out who provided information to the media.
Misinformation
Disinformation is intentionally false information spread to mislead. It differs from misinformation (unintentional errors) and satire (deliberate exaggeration for comic effect).
Expressing hatred or insults against a group based on ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, etc.
Incitement against a group of people is a crime in Sweden which means expressing or spreading hateful messages against a group based on race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, etc.