The criticized feature was part of SVT’s satirical program Svenska Nyheter which was broadcast on 22 September 2023. The feature was about the government’s autumn budget, which included reduced grants to student unions. The argument was that the study associations’ activities must become more job-creating.
In the feature, jokes were made, among other things, about the government’s motives for “slaughtering public education” and that “everything should lead to jobs and be measured in numbers and figures”. Various ironic examples of non-job-creating courses were given. Then the presenter said: “I understand that some courses are a bit vague, but there has to be some job-creating course, right? Can I just get one more?”
Then a clip from Youtube was shown which was part of the marketing of the “Forest swimming” course. In the clip, a clearly identifiable woman can be seen embracing a tree. The woman had placed her cheek against the tree and her face expressed pleasure and enjoyment. She was heard saying: “I can invite to discover the different textures that are around us.” At the same time, a sign was displayed with the woman’s full name and title as forest therapy guide.
The presenter then turned to the film, called the reporter a made-up word and asked ironically if her course really wasn’t job-creating? And if she, described in another word, wouldn’t have hundreds of employers after her
The complainant felt offended
The publication was reported by the woman. The complainant, Laurence Nachin, has stated that she understood the joke about the student unions’ “fuzzy” courses. She didn’t have a problem with satirical points being made out of it. But she also considered that the feature exposed, ridiculed and offended a private person who was not in a public position. The second word used about her also constituted a brutal sexual allusion, which was particularly offensive.
The media’s response
SVT regretted that the informant took offense. That had not been the program’s intention. The point of the joke was directed at the budget reduction and at the student unions, not at her. The made-up words used jokingly had no sexual connotation and were not used in a derogatory way. Of course, it could be debated whether the wording could be done differently, but SVT considered that it was clear that the point of the irony was not directed at the reporter and that the element was within the scope of what was permitted.
The Media Ombudsman’s assessment
The Media Ombudsman, MO, must investigate whether a publication has caused a designated person unjustifiable publicity damage. To decide this, the public interest of the publication is weighed against the consideration that should be given to the individual’s privacy.
Humor and satire as means of expression are an obvious part of the free social debate. Svenska Nyheter is a humor program that describes current events in a humorous way, often with elements of satire and irony. In that kind of program, the ceiling must be very high.
MO states that, apart from the responsible minister, the reporter is the only person who appears with a picture, voice, full name and title in the relevant element. There is no reason to question that the complainant has had a negative experience of being referred to by the invented and derisive words used by the presenter.
As a private person and through no fault of their own in a nationwide program being ridiculed in their professional practice and also with sexual allusions, is an intrusion into the privacy of the complainant. MO fully understands that it is about humor and satire, and that SVT’s intention was not to harm anyone. But there is no public interest that justifies the whistleblower, who has no position in the public eye, being exposed in the way that happened. The discomfort the complainant experienced has thus caused her unjustifiable publicity damage. For that, the media should be blamed.
The assessment of the Media Ethics Committee
In its statement to the board, SVT added that the company also now considered that it could be understood that the expression that the notifier perceived as derogatory appeared in the feature. Regardless, it was a made-up word used in irony.
The complainant highlighted the fact that SVT now admitted that the feature used wording that it previously claimed it had not used.
The Media Ethics Committee shares MO’s assessment and blames Sveriges Television for having violated good journalistic practice.
This is a shortened version of the board’s decision. The decision in its entirety will be available on the website of the Public Media Ombudsman/Media Ethics Committee www.medieombudsmannen.se.
Footnote: The Press Opinion Committee and the Public Press Ombudsman were reorganized on 1 January 2020 into the Media Ethics Committee and the Public Media Ombudsman.