Swedish media researchers: 'Journalists must start fighting back against populist lies'

Swedish media researchers Peter Jakobsson and Fredrik Stiernstedt are calling for journalists to actively combat populist falsehoods, asserting that remaining silent is untenable, particularly in an election year. They argue that populist media criticism has become a political identity marker on the Swedish right, and journalists have long hoped it would simply fade away.

Their research, detailed in the book "Nationens fiender. Populistisk mediekritik i en tid av demokratisk tillbakagång" (Enemies of the Nation: Populist Media Criticism in an Era of Democratic Decline), reveals a pervasive narrative that depicts news media as untrustworthy elites actively undermining Sweden. This narrative falsely claims journalists are biased, engaged in political propaganda for left-liberal agendas like open borders and radical climate policies.

Jakobsson and Stiernstedt stress that there is no research to support these claims of general unreliability or systematic political bias in Swedish news media. While acknowledging the importance of constructive media criticism regarding market concentration and journalistic practices, they distinguish it sharply from populist critiques designed to erode public trust and brand media as political adversaries.

The researchers note that this anti-media populist narrative has moved from the fringes to become increasingly accepted by opinion leaders, politicians, and even some media actors. They caution against viewing each instance of such criticism as an isolated opinion, emphasizing instead that these attacks are often part of a decentralized political campaign aimed at damaging the credibility of journalism.