Freedom of press and freedom of speech in Sweden

Democracy, that's much more than just going to vote once every four years. In between the elections, it is the democratic institutions, The laws, The basic human rights, The courts, and the authorities with their regulations, ... that make up the framework of a democratic society. Especially important are the Acts that make up the constitution. Two of them are: The Freedom of the Press Act And the Freedom of Speech Act.

Together they are the laws giving the media their freedom and their limitations. The Freedom of the Press Act is really old. In its first version it was already in place on the 2nd of December 1766. Thereby, the world's first law protecting freedom of the press was introduced in Sweden. But the Freedom of the Press Act only protects things that are printed.

That is, newspapers, magazines, and books. Television, radio, and the internet aren't covered by the law at all. So, in 1992 we got a new act of constitution, that fills these gaps: The Freedom of Speech Act. These two laws, often called TF and YGL, state pretty much the same thing, with the difference that they are valid for different media. You don't have to know them in detail, but some things are worth knowing about TF and YGL.

Here are five of them. First: you have the right to publish whatever books, magazines and newspapers you want. You also have the right to express your thoughts, opinions, and feelings in radio, television, and on the web. Second: The government may never require prior knowledge of the things you want to publish. That is, the government may not censor you. (Well, except in one case: the government does preview films shown in cinemas, to set the age restrictions.) The third thing you ought to know, is that there are quite a few things you can't say.

Even though the government can't pre-empt nor censor you, you can be be sentenced in court if you spread information that... ... harms the national security of the country. ... or is secret for other reasons. If, for example, you are a doctor, you can't spread information about your patients. Such information is classified. ...

or hate speech, that is, toward a section of the population, based on origin, religion, or sexual orientation. ... or, if you threaten and spread lies and insults about people: defamation. As long as you avoid these things, you can say whatever you want in the newspaper, on television, and on the web. The fourth thing that is good to know about Freedom of the press and speech: For the media to be protected by these laws, they are obliged to have a responsible publisher. This must be an adult, living in Sweden, who says, "I take responsibility for this newspaper" or blog or whatever it is.

If the newspaper, or blog, then violates one of the rules - say, it reveals some military secrets or spreads racial hatred - then it's the responsible publisher who can be sentenced to jail. Final important thing with freedom of the press and speech: You have the right to talk to journalists, and you have the right to be anonymous. Say you're a police officer, and you know that some other police officers aren't doing their job properly. Then you have the right to tell this to the media. And the journalist that you're telling, is obliged to protect your identity.

This is called source protection. If the journalist doesn't properly protect their source, the journalist can be sentenced to prison. And not just that: it's also forbidden for government agencies to even attempt to learn who it was who leaked the information. And if for example your police chief finds out that is was you who gave the information, it is also forbidden for them to give you any form of punishment for it. There you have them: The Freedom of the Press Act and The Freedom of Speech Act, in five points.