Two key factors, the Conservatives coming to power thanks to a confidence and supply agreement with the right-wing populist Sweden Democrats and the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, have had a considerable impact on Sweden’s media landscape.
Sweden: Sweden Democrats polarise the media landscape, too
The polarisation of the media has intensified as a result of the silent participation of the Sweden Democrats in the conservative-led minority government. An example of this trend is the leading daily newspaper Dagens Nyheter, which describes itself as “independent liberal”. It had always favoured conservative governments, but is battling against the current government because of its closeness to the Sweden Democrats.
The trend of media consumption shifting to the digital space continues. In its 2022 report, the nationwide Media Barometer survey identified major shifts in daily media consumption trends as a result of the growing use of smartphones. Most media outlets are seeing a positive trend in digital subscriptions while print circulations continue to decline, also as a result of cutbacks in postal and delivery services.
All media outlets are therefore focusing on their digital services, and on apps for smartphones and tablets in particular. Television and radio are also playing an increasingly active role in this segment. According to the Media Barometer surveys, TV programmes are actually being accessed more frequently via internet streaming than via traditional broadcast television. Podcasts and video news are gaining importance – also on the websites of print media. Nevertheless, newspapers cannot fully compensate for the decline in their print circulations with the expansion of their online services.
These are times of rapid and profound changes in the media, also in Sweden, which in 1766 became one of the first countries in the world to enshrine freedom of the press in its constitution. Press freedom is a key element of the right to freedom of expression, which has always been highly prized in Sweden. The changes are also reflected in the reform of state support for daily newspapers and in the funding of the public service broadcasters, which since 2019 have been financed by a tax instead of by television licence fees. State support for local newspapers has also been restructured. The concentration of newspaper ownership, however, continues unabated.
A distinctive feature of the Swedish media landscape is the relatively prominent role still played by the public, ad-free broadcasters Sveriges Television and Sveriges Radio. Sveriges Radio broadcasts in the minority languages as well as in Swedish. Their supervisory structures are designed to keep political influence to a minimum. Nevertheless, the Sweden Democrats have repeatedly criticised the broadcasters’ reporting and tried to persuade the parliament to reprimand them – so far in vain.
The public broadcasters and the leading dailies play a key role in shaping the public debate in Sweden, although social media are also highly influential. As a result of various acquisitions and concentration processes in the 1990s and 2000s, the newspaper segment is now dominated by the Norwegian group Schibsted and the Swedish group Bonnier Media.
World Press Freedom Index (Reporters Without Borders):
Rank 4 (2023)
Last updated: June 2023
