A woman out walking her dog on Friday suddenly threw a tantrum at two teenage boys for not lending what they say is their basketball to the dog. The incident was captured on film and published online.
The woman, whom SVT has met, feels bad about the enormous spread that the clip has received in social media. An anonymized version of the clip has also been published by Expressen, something that freelance journalist Jack Werner is critical of.
– I think the situation is too unclear, we completely lack the context of what has happened. And even if the name is not published, a publication in a major media outlet hints that the film can be seen uncensored on social media, he says in Aktuellt.
Expressen: A responsible publication
Karin Olsson, deputy editor-in-chief at Expressen, says that she understands that the dissemination of the clip is something that affects the woman deeply, but that Expressen has at the same time done its journalistic job.
– In this digital society we live in, there is almost always more information available about current news events. But as a serious news media, you cannot let that stop you from making responsible publications, she says and continues:
– We news media have a responsibility to be relevant also to the young news audience. This was something that touched hundreds of thousands of young people who had seen the clip and perhaps recognized themselves in being mistreated by an adult at some point.
Jack Werner believes that Expressen has contributed to the fact that the woman’s life is now “radically changed”.
– She feels like she’s walking around with a sign that says “crazy”. You have to keep that in mind when doing this type of journalism, and take into account what reality looks like, he says.