A Clash of Ideals : The Introduction of Televised Information in Sweden, 1969–1972

Due to a general expansion of Swedish public sector in the 1960s and 70s, there was a perceived need not only for closer contact between citizens and government agencies, but also for more government information about citizens’ rights and responsibilities. Following a government report called Expanded Government Information (1969), where a modernized and more active form of government information was recommended, the public debate about government information became heated. Television, at this time still considered a new medium with great yet unfulfilled promise, was particularly highlighted (SOU 1969:48: 52–56). However, the reports’ ‘progressive’ ideas were not unilaterally accepted, but instead there were competing visions about the role and function of government information among politicians, researchers and media professionals. Meanwhile, critics within the public service broadcaster Sveriges Radio (SR) viewed the idea of expanded government information as a threat to public service broadcastings’ independence.This paper returns to the animated debates when Sveriges television (SVT) began airing the government information program Anslagstavlan. Starting in 1972, Anslagstavlan comprised of short informational spots on topics such as taxes, health care and public insurance. Though often part of larger information campaigns, the televised government information stood out, making the program well-known amongst generations of Swedish audiences. While much research has been devoted to the Swedish public service model, wherein regulated independence from the government has been a cornerstone (Djerf-Pierre & Ekström 2013), little is known about Swedish television’s function as a communication tool for government authorities. By focusing on the strategies of historical agents in the production and circulation of government information, this study aims to identify and explain the ways in which information problems were framed, which media effects were considered important and what vocabulary was used to describe practices. This raises the following central research questions: How did television journalists, government agencies, and PR-bureaus envision the appeal and effect of televised information? What discursive struggles emerged over the definition and framing of televised information