"No one believes in Åkesson" : A comparative study on the evening press and the public service reporting on the Swedish Democrats before the 2014 election

No one believes in Åkesson - a comparative study on the evening press and the public service reporting on the Swedish Democrats before the 2014 election. The purpose of this essay was to study how Aftonbladet and Ekot reports about the Swedish Democrats before the election 2014, as well as comparing the two medias and reasoning about their agendas towards the party. The tabloid, Aftonbladet, is one of the biggest newspapers in Sweden, which depends on counter sales and commercials. Ekot, which is a part of public service, is state-funded and regulated by certain guidelines. Using a quantitative method we studied 80 articles, and through a qualitative method, six of the articles were analyzed to reach a deeper understanding. The theories primary used in this study were agenda-setting and framing, to stress the power of media. As well as political communication, to examine whether the Swedish Democrats are portrayed according to the democratics ideals of what kind of information journalism should provide citizens before an election. The result showed that the politics of the Swedish Democrats was rarely applied in the news articles. It also showed that both Aftonbladet and Ekot tended to portray the political party with a primary negative agenda. The Swedish Democrats were often described as racists, ignorant and irresponsible. Although Ekot proved to be a bit more restrict in their reporting, there were little differences in how both media presented the politcal party. Although the Swedish Democrats has taken on costumes instead of bomber jackets, and has an office in the Swedish Parliament, they still in 2014 aren’t neutralised or portraid as a serious political alternative, in either Aftonbladet nor Ekot