The Media Ethics Board makes the crucial decisions.
It is not the Media Ombudsman but representatives from the media, the public and
some experienced judges who ultimately decide whether a publication should be
criticized or not.
What does the Media Ethics Board do?
When the Media Ombudsman has decided that a media company should be blamed, the case
is automatically forwarded to the Swedish Media Ethics Board (MEN). It is stated that the
MO refers the decision to MEN for a final decision.
If the Ministry of Justice decides to exempt a publication, the person who reported it can
appeal the matter to the Media Ethics Board, which will also make a final decision on that
issue.
Who sits on the Media Ethics Committee?
The committee consists of representatives from the media and the public and is led by
experienced judges. There are a total of 32 people on the committee:
4 are lawyers with solid judicial experience. They are appointed by the Media Ethics
Board – the board that manages the media ethics system.
16 represent the media and are appointed by the principals of the media ethics system
(Publicists' Club, Swedish Journalists' Association, SR, Sveriges Tidskrifter, SVT,
Newspaper Publishers, TV4 and UR).
12 represent the public and are appointed by the Chief Ombudsman together with the
Chairman of the Swedish Bar Association.
You can find the names of all members of the Media Ethics Board here.
Wasn't it called the Press Opinion Board before?
Well, the Press Opinion Board has existed since 1916, but in 2020 the board changed its
name. The reason was that broadcast media and associated websites became part of the media
ethics system, and therefore “press” was no longer considered an accurate term.
How does the case process at the Media Ethics Board work?
Once the MO has made a decision and proposed a charge, the matter is forwarded to the
Media Ethics Board. The media outlet and the complainant have the opportunity to comment
even before the board makes a decision.
The same applies if the Ministry of Justice has acquitted the media outlet and the person who
reported the matter has chosen to appeal the matter.
The committee meets approximately twelve times a year – usually divided into two “teams”
with two chairmen and a maximum of 14 members per meeting. Current matters – referrals
(accusations) and acquittals from the MO are dealt with. The committee takes note of the
MO’s decisions, the exchange of correspondence and current publications before making a
decision.
If the board finds fault, it can do so at three levels:
1. Decide that the media outlet violated good journalistic practice (the mildest form of
criticism).
2. Deciding that the media has violated good journalistic practice (the most common
form of criticism)
3. Decide that the media has grossly violated good journalistic practice (the most serious
form of criticism).
Most decisions are made unanimously, but sometimes members who disagree with the
decision can dissent and explain in the decision why they have a different opinion than the
majority.
And what happens after the committee's decision?
All decisions of the committee are published on the Media Ombudsman's website, where
complainants can choose whether or not to remain anonymous.
The media company that is accused must publish a statement about the decision and pay an
administrative fee of 13,000 or 32,000 SEK depending on the size. The money is used to
partially finance the media ethics system. The statutes for the Media Ethics Board can be
read here.
More about how media outlets that are criticized should act can be read here .