Media Support Act

The plan demands diversity of channels for news, opinion exchange and opinion formation and generous state support to press and periodicals, without the state controlling content. The counter-proposal's demands that breadth and diversity are not subordinated to local news coverage, that opinion journalism is not excluded and that the democracy condition rests on constitutional values follow from these commitments. The plan also addresses the committee's reasons about a democracy condition through its requirement of arm's length distance.

• media diversity for democracydecisive»Samhällets demokratisering kräver en mångfald av kanaler för information, nyheter, åsiktsbrytning och opinionsbildning.« (party programme ↗)“Society's democratization requires diversity of channels for information, news, opinion exchange and opinion formation.”
• no state content control»utan att detta innebär en kontroll av innehållet i fria medier.« (party programme ↗)“without this implying control of the content of free media.”
• arm's length distance»Politiken ska skapa förutsättningar för en bred kultur som kommer alla till del och hålla armlängds avstånd till innehållet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Policy shall create conditions for broad culture that reaches everyone and maintain arm's length distance from content.”
• generous media support»det är viktigt med ett generöst stöd till« (party programme ↗)“it is important with generous support to”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The election manifesto explicitly states that media support should provide conditions for independent and locally rooted news distribution throughout the country, precisely the prioritisation of local news coverage that the counter-proposal objects to. The plan also stands behind public funds not going to forces that do not stand up for all people's equal value, which supports a democracy condition of the proposed type. The demand for diversity in media policy exists in the party programme but does not break the election manifesto's prioritisation.

• locally rooted news distributiondecisive»Mediestödet ska ge förutsättningar för oberoende och lokalt förankrad nyhetsförmedling i hela landet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Media support should provide conditions for independent and locally rooted news distribution throughout the country.”
• democracy condition for state funding»Socialdemokraterna kommer aldrig att medverka till att ge makt åt Sverigedemokraterna, ett parti som inte står upp för alla människors lika värde och rätt.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Social democrats will never participate in giving power to the Sweden Democrats, a party that does not stand up for all people's equal value and rights.”
• protection against anti-democratic forces»Demokratin undergrävs när rasistiska och andra ickedemokratiska grupper sprider sitt hat« (party programme ↗)“Democracy is undermined when racist and other non-democratic groups spread their hate”
• media diversity as counterweight»Att motverka maktkoncentration och att upprätthålla mångfald ska vara centrala delar av« (party programme ↗)“Counteracting concentration of power and maintaining diversity should be central parts of”

The stance rests on the quoted commitment in the party's own documents; the actual vote deviated. Click the quote to verify it in the document.

The plan wants media support to be reformed so that it strengthens smaller actors and that a diversity of opinions and freedom of speech are guaranteed, with support for independent media throughout the country. The counter-proposal's objections about breadth and diversity, that opinion journalism must not exclude a news outlet and that support should go to those who need it are in line with these commitments. The plan is, however, silent on the precise construction of the democracy requirement.

• support that strengthens smaller actorsdecisive»omformas så att det stärker mindre aktörer« (party programme ↗)“be reformed so that it strengthens smaller actors”
• diversity of opinions»garantera en mångfald av åsikter och yttrandefrihet« (party programme ↗)“guarantee a diversity of opinions and freedom of speech”
• independent media throughout the country»förstärka yttrandefriheten och stödja oberoende medier i hela landet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“strengthen freedom of speech and support independent media throughout the country.”
• investigative journalism for democracy»Ett demokratiskt samhälle kräver saklig information, aktiv samhällsgranskning och grävande« (party programme ↗)“A democratic society requires factual information, active public scrutiny and investigative”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan demands comprehensive, independent and vigorous media monitoring throughout the country and that media stand free from political control, which carries the objection that the aim should give breadth and diversity equal weight and that opinion journalism must not exclude a medium from support. The plan's principle that policy should not act as taste-maker supports tying the democracy condition to constitutional values rather than to political judgements. That support should go to those who actually need it follows from the demand to manage taxpayers' money.

• comprehensive and independent media monitoringdecisive»En allsidig, oberoende och livskraftig mediebevakning i hela landet är avgörande för demokratin. Pressfriheten ska skyddas och oberoende public service försvaras.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Comprehensive, independent and vigorous media monitoring throughout the country is crucial for democracy. Press freedom shall be protected and independent public service defended.”
• media free from political control»Tillgången till oberoende medier som står fria från såväl politisk kontroll och censur« (party programme ↗)“Access to independent media that stand free from both political control and censorship”
• policy not taste-maker»Politiken ska akta sig för att agera smakdomare och diktera kulturens innehåll.« (party programme ↗)“Policy should beware of acting as taste-maker and dictating culture's content.”
• support according to actual need»Politiken ska hushålla med skattebetalarnas pengar.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Policy shall manage taxpayers' money.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The election manifesto wants to reorganize press and media support precisely to promote local quality investigative journalism throughout the country, while the counter-proposal argues that the purpose clause wrongly prioritizes local news coverage over breadth and diversity. The plan also stands behind a democracy condition through the demand for strengthened monitoring of subsidies and stop for financing that favors extremist forces. The demand for needs testing lies closer to the plan's skepticism about permanent press support, but the decisive commitment speaks against the counter-proposal.

• media support for local journalismdecisive»Vi vill göra om press- och mediestödet för att främja en lokal granskande kvalitetsjournalistik i hela landet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want to reorganize press and media support to promote local quality investigative journalism throughout the country.”
• democracy condition for public grants»Vi vill både stärka uppföljningen av bidragsgivning och stoppa dold finansiering av trossamfund så att de inte blir verktyg för extremistiska krafter.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want both to strengthen monitoring of subsidies and stop hidden financing of religious communities so that they do not become tools for extremist forces.”
• media independence»Mediernas oberoende måste värnas.« (party programme ↗)“Media independence must be protected.”
• time-limited press support»Reklamskatten ska avskaffas och en bortre tidsgräns för det nuvarande presstödet slås fast.« (party programme ↗)“Advertising tax shall be abolished and a terminal time limit for current press support shall be fixed.”

The plan requires strong protection for freedom of expression and that public support is conditioned on the activity being in accordance with fundamental values, which lies close to the requirement that the democracy condition shall be based on the constitution's values. The requirement for breadth and diversity and that support be reserved for those who need it is supported by the plan's emphasis on diversity and restraint with public funds. The plan, however, does not take a stance on the exact wording of the purpose paragraph.

• support conditioned on valuesdecisive»Stöd ska därför utgå till de trossamfund som bedriver« (party programme ↗)“Support shall therefore go to those religious communities that conduct”
• strong freedom of expression»Ett starkt skydd för yttrande- och meddelarfriheten« (party programme ↗)“Strong protection for freedom of expression and the freedom to communicate”
• constitutionally protected freedom of expression»det allmänna inte får ingripa mot yttrandefriheten« (party programme ↗)“the public may not interfere with freedom of expression”
• needs-tested support»återhållsamhet i de offentliga utgifterna.« (party programme ↗)“restraint in public expenditure.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan's media policy goal is a broad range of media in various formats that can operate freely and in competition, and it wants to reform media support. That argues for the counter-proposal's requirement that breadth and diversity weigh equally as local news coverage and that media with opinion journalism should not be excluded. The plan also supports that public funds should not go to activities that do not share fundamental democratic values, which is close to the requirement that the democracy condition should be based on the Basic Law's values.

• broad and diverse media rangedecisive»Moderaternas mediepolitik har som mål att skapa förutsättningar för ett brett utbud av medier i olika format som kan verka fritt, självständigt och i konkurrens med varandra.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The Moderates' media policy aims to create conditions for a broad range of media in various formats that can operate freely, independently and in competition with each other”
• reformed media support»Reformera mediestödet för att stödja den digitala transformationen och omställningen« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Reform media support to support digital transformation and transition”
• democracy condition for public funds»Stoppa utbetalningar av skattepengar till organisationer som inte delar det svenska samhällets grundläggande demokratiska värderingar utan som hotar människors frihet« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Stop payments of public money to organisations that do not share Swedish society's fundamental democratic values but which threaten people's freedom”
• free media as foundation»Fria medier och ett fritt kulturliv är fundament i ett pluralistiskt« (party programme ↗)“Free media and a free cultural life are foundations in a pluralistic”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan requires that media independence increases through reduced political control and measures for increased plurality, and that public support goes only to activities compatible with democratic values. The counter-proposal's objections — that breadth and plurality must not be subordinated to local news coverage, that the democracy condition should rest on constitutional values and that support should be reserved for those who need it — correspond to these commitments. The plan does not address the details of media support legislation.

• media plurality and independencedecisive»Mediernas oberoende ska öka genom minskad politisk styrning från statsmakten och åtgärder för en ökad mångfald.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Media independence shall increase through reduced political control from the state and measures for increased plurality.”
• democracy condition for public support»förenlig med demokratiska värderingar och en konstruktiv samhällsutveckling.« (party programme ↗)“compatible with democratic values and constructive social development.”
• reduced state media control»Minska det offentligas ekonomiska kontroll över samtidskulturen och mediesfären« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Reduce the state's economic control over contemporary culture and the media sphere.”
• no subsidies to antidemocrats»Stoppa bidrag till extremistiska idéorganisationer inom civilsamhället« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Stop subsidies to extremist ideological organizations within civil society.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.