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Week of December 13, 2021

Controversial news outlet added to media support list, founder complains
"bizarre accusations"

The Swedish Media Support Board makes annual operating support contributions to just about every publication. For 2022 the total is a bit more than SEK580 million, about €56 million, to support 66 publications the agency announced (December 8). Contributions are based on reach and “contribution to diversity.” Hence, leading daily Svenska Dagbladet will receive SEK40 million, about €3.8 million. The Media Support Board operates under media regulator MPRT. (See more about media support here)

Online news outlets Fempers Nyheter and Bulletin are new additions. Both were granted a bit extra retroactively for 2021. Several others had applied and their files will be reviewed by the board in February. Fempers Nyheter is an independent feminist news portal, founded in May 2021 and publishing online twice weekly with quarterly print editions. Bulletin first appeared about a year ago with something of a splash, not only for its right-wing content.

Swedish media watchers have been quite attentive to Bulletin noting the revolving door of employees, complaints of plagiarism and financial support from the right-wing political party Alternativ för Sverige (AfS). Even the American magazine Vanity Fare noticed with an exposé (April 7) about the hiring of former New York Times (NYT) opinion editor Andrew Rosenthal, son of famous NYT editor Abe Rosenthal. Mr. Rosenthal works from a “luxury villa just outside New York” and “reads texts with the help of Google Translate because he does not understand Swedish,” noted Swedish daily Expressen (October 15).

The decision of the Media Support Board to grant aid to Bulletin was not unanimous. "The newspaper Bulletin has proven to be careless with its funds,” said a “dissenting opinion,” quoted by public TV broadcaster SVT (December 8). “It is quite obvious that the operating support will not go to journalism but to debtors.” (See more about media in Sweden here)

The drama continued as Bulletin co-founder and significant investor Pontus Tholin filed a police complaint accusing the management of “gross fraud” in its application for support, reported Swedish media news portal Dagens Media (December 15). “I am very anxious not to be linked to this fraudulent handling. To steal tax money is as far from my own liberal-conservative values as one can get at all.”

"This is just the latest in a long list of bizarre accusations, and is unlikely to be the last,” said management representative Tino Sanandaji to SVT (December 15). “It costs nothing to (file a) report and it in itself means nothing. So I take this in stride.”

For its part, the MPRT said the operating support for Bulletin has been approved. “But if new information should emerge, the grant may be withdrawn or the news site may be liable for repayment.”

News crews strip logos as right-wing anti-vax mobs attack
"No Logos"

More than ever reporters and camera crews rarely go to the street without security details. This is not limited to conflict zones. Last weekend (December 11) demonstrators aligned with the Austrian far-right political party FPÖ massed to express resistance to coronavirus safety measures. Reporters were attacked.

“Vaccination skeptics and right-wing extremists regard the press as an enemy,” noted news channel Puls24 (December 12). Puls24 reporter Magdalena Punz was “kettled” and verbally abused by the mob. In the midst of a live broadcast OE24 reporter Julia Rauch was similarly attacked by two men. Unfortunately for them, the TV channel posted video of the attack asking the public for their identities. (See more about media in Austria here)

"Attacks on journalists who report on the freedom of expression demanded by demonstrators are outrageous and at the same time an attack on an important pillar of our democracy," said journalist union GPA chairperson Eike-Clemens Kullmann, quoted by Austrian daily DerStandard (December 13). “Securing the right to demonstrate is important, as is reporting about it. It must not go so far that safe exercise of journalistic work is only possible with security support.” (See more about Media and the Virus here)

“It’s just sad and scary,” said public broadcaster ORF news editor Katharina Weinmann. ORF logos were removed from microphones, clothing and vehicles to “prevent them from being recognized.”

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