Content conditions for public service on the internet
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
1 S considers it reasonable to impose the same requirements on public service on the internet as in the terrestrial network in order to create trust 1. S argues that the pre-examination of new services may conflict with the principle of arm's-length distance 1. 2 SD considers it a welcome step that content on the internet should be able to be reviewed based on conditions for publicly funded media actors 2. 3 M considers that the conditions must be long-term sustainable and that the arm's-length distance shall be maintained 3. 4 V considers that all content must be able to be reviewed to maintain trust 4, but is critical that other actors can report services as it threatens independence 4. 4 V considers that moving decisions from the government to an agency is an improvement 4. 5 L considers that content conditions in the terrestrial network shall also apply to public service on the internet 5.
Written by AI in advance and may contain errors. The numbers lead to the speech a statement builds on; check against the text below.
Ida Karkiainen (S)
Madam Speaker! For a democracy, radio and television in public service have a special significance as independent media with obligations towards the public, which in turn are regulated in agreements with the state. The commitments - the obligations - are that we, the whole people of Sweden, shall receive impartial and objective news about what is happening in the country and the world, not just the image that the authorities or large corporations want to convey. It is also about that all Swedish citizens, whoever we may be, wherever we may come from, whatever minority language we may speak and whatever functional variations we may have, shall be able to access radio and television. It is something that commercial media will not be able to provide.
People should be able to trust that what is said is a result of journalism's ethical principles and that there is no underlying hidden agenda. In a world where disinformation spreads quickly and we soon do not dare to trust anything, independent media and public service in radio and TV in the public's service becomes more important than ever.
What we are debating today is the content conditions for public service on the internet. Let me give a concrete example of why we are debating the issue today. The content conditions for public service are regulated in the market network, meaning that what SVT, UR, and Sveriges Radio do on the internet, for example their play services, can neither be audited nor be accounted for in, among other things, the annual reports. This means in practice that the Audit Committee cannot audit the activities broadcast via the internet and therefore cannot follow up on the important requirements we set regarding impartiality, objectivity, and the conditions for sponsorship.
Madam Speaker! Even though it is not possible to set these conditions for activities broadcast online, the public service companies follow the conditions in any case. They are already applied today but are not established in legislation. We must remember that the proposal we are debating today has no significant effects or consequences for public service. The government also writes this in its bill, and it is important to remember.
Madam Speaker! It is reasonable to be able to place the same requirements on activities online as on other activities, and this has also been advocated by previous investigations. The reason the matter is up for debate is that it is not possible to place the same requirements in the terrestrial network as in cable. And now, Madam Speaker, we come to something very exciting, that is to say, our freedom of speech legislation. It is strong and comprehensive and has made Sweden one of the countries with the strongest freedom of speech, but it is also one of the most complicated legislations. Furthermore, the law is technical, and that is why a distinction is made between transmissions in the terrestrial network and transmissions on the internet.
This, we must remember, is a departure from the possibilities of freedom of expression to regulate the internet. There is freedom of establishment for all activities transmitted via wire through the internet. For programs broadcast in other ways than through wire in the terrestrial network, there is no corresponding freedom of establishment. And that is why conditions can be set. The regulation is expressed, among other things, in the Radio and Television Act.
We think it is reasonable that the same requirements, the same conditions, should apply regardless of whether a broadcast is on the terrestrial network or is on the internet. It is also something that the public service companies themselves have expressed that they already do and that the legislative change therefore will not entail any major consequences. It is about having a similar logic and thereby creating trust for the operation.
Madam Speaker! There is also a proposal in the committee report, and in the government's bill, which concerns the preliminary review. I would like to say a few words about this. It is good that the preliminary review should be transferred from the government to the Swedish Press and Broadcasting Authority, but there can actually be some objections to the preliminary review as such.
The principle of arm's length, which we discuss a lot in the context of public service and cultural creators in general, that is, that politics should not interfere in individual programs and broadcasts and influence content, is something that the vast majority in the Swedish Riksdag can agree is important. The preliminary review is in poor harmony with that principle. In the preliminary review of new public service services, it is inevitable to delve into the content and look at what the new service will be for. It is not possible to separate the preliminary review from being inside content issues, and it is in poor harmony with our principle of arm's length. Therefore, one can truly have sympathy for the Left Party's special statement, and I want to bring to the record that we agree with much of what appears in the statement.
The preliminary review is limited to examining new services, but it is inevitable to look at the content. But if we want public service to be relevant for the future and relevant in society, the public service companies must also be allowed to develop their services, and it is clear that there is a market influence. We shall not pretend that there is no market influence. It is clear that it exists with the type of activities that public service carries out. The idea is also that the review is something we want in Sweden that is democratically beneficial and that we see as serving the Swedish people. It is radio and TV in the public's service. We therefore believe that one should look at the preliminary review going forward and see if it is possible to make changes.
We can also always discuss the extent of the market impact that the public service companies represent. But if we want a relevant actor that can also compete with the big giants, Facebook, Netflix, Google, all the big network operators, it is important that we also let public service be competitive. It is ultimately about not letting only commercial purposes characterize radio and TV, but also democratic purposes in the public service.
Madam Speaker! I want to conclude by saying that there is a very high level of trust in public service among the Swedish people. This is shown, not least during the time of the pandemic and now also by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It is an important activity that we need to safeguard in the future, and that is why the bill and the committee report are a step on the way toward creating a logic in the content requirements. It is also something that the recently appointed parliamentary public service committee is to look into. We will follow the work with interest.
Madam Speaker! I move for approval of the proposal in the committee's report.
Leonid Yurkovskiy (SD)
Madam Speaker! It is pleasing that another step in the right direction is now being taken for public service. It is naturally no news that more and more of media consumption takes place via the internet, and since public service has a presence there, it is equally self-evident that the content on the internet should also be able to be scrutinized under the conditions that shall apply for such a publicly funded media actor. Sverigedemokraterna is the party that has submitted a dedicated public service motion, where we have pushed the issue that more of public service's content should be able to be scrutinized, specifically on the web services.
One can certainly understand the Left Party's objection that the current proposal does not go all the way. According to the government, pure text publications shall not be covered by the content conditions in this regard. There are practical reasons for this – it would require further legislative changes – which the Left Party itself also notes.
But the positive thing is that there is a broad consensus on the issue. When it states in the investigation directives before the new broadcasting license that the committee shall propose which legislative changes and steering documents are needed for a complete and as technology-neutral as possible regulation of the public service mandate, the prerequisites therefore seem to be very good for reaching an agreement. This is very important, because the questions regarding the public's trust in public service, the companies' objectivity and impartiality, and so on are directly linked to the possibility of auditing the content. Then the parties obviously differ on how well the public service companies have succeeded so far, but that is a debate we have to take another time.
This proposal is in any case a welcome step in the right direction. And given that the permit period is soon expiring, it is positive that we manage to implement this already now, even though there is more to be done.
Lars Engsund (M)
Madam Speaker! I would first like to move for approval of the Committee on the Constitution's proposal in the report.
First, I thought I would take a small excursion. The history of public services in Sweden is long. When I was a little boy, there were two channels in the ground network, TV1 and TV2. As a child, I remember how I could long for the early evening, when the day's children's programs would begin. I remember how happy I could become if it was something I liked. I also remember well how disappointed I could become if it was something I did not like, for example, Vilse in the pancake or a Czech puppet film.
At that time, only public service was available here in Sweden. It took a good while into the 80s before, for example, satellite broadcasts were available. And eventually, in 1992, a concession was granted for one additional terrestrial channel.
Madam Speaker! Since then, technological development has occurred at a rapid pace. The TV offering is larger than ever, and for a long time now we have also been able to watch TV digitally, for example via the internet.
The report is based on the amendments to the Freedom of the Press Act that entered into force in January 2023 and which make it possible to regulate the activities of public service companies via the web, for example the internet, in a manner that corresponds to what applies for broadcasts in the terrestrial network. The report is therefore about equating the law so that the same rules apply to public service regardless of whether it is terrestrial broadcast or broadcast via the internet. The conditions shall apply to Sveriges Radio, Sveriges Television and Sveriges Utbildningsradio for the remainder of the companies' broadcasting licenses, that is until 2025. The report further proposes that the Swedish Press and Broadcasting Authority shall review whether the public service companies comply with the conditions that have been set.
Madam Speaker! During the spring, a parliamentary committee was appointed with the task of establishing long-term conditions for a robust and independent public service. The committee shall propose how the public service mandate should be regulated from and after 2026 and what shall be included in the mandate during the license period 2026-2033. The proposals shall aim to create good conditions for the public service activities and uphold and safeguard its independence.
It is important that the conditions for public service are long-term sustainable. From the Tidö Agreement, it appears that the independence of public service media shall persist and their long-term funding shall be maintained. Thus, the principle of arm's length distance shall be upheld within cultural policy, and politics shall only shape the conditions, not govern the content.
In the preamble, it is also proposed that the Authority for Press, Radio and TV should, instead of the government, make decisions during the preliminary review of new services from public service, which is entirely in line with what was previously stated.
Vasiliki Tsouplaki (V)
Madam Speaker! Free, independent, and autonomous media constitute an important cornerstone in the construction of a stable democracy. In Sweden, there is a very long tradition of freedom of the press and freedom of expression, and today's media landscape contains a great diversity of privately and jointly owned radio and TV channels and newspapers.
It is through the publicly funded companies Sveriges Television, Sveriges Radio and Utbildningsradion, which we collectively call public service, and their broad mandate that we can ensure that all the country's inhabitants receive, among other things, impartial social information, news, entertainment, and cultural experiences. The educational mandate that UR is responsible for, which among other things concerns our students, I also want to specifically highlight.
That both journalism and the entirety of public service stand independent in relation to politics is completely fundamental.
For Vänsterpartiet, it is of the utmost importance that we have strong public service companies that are given good conditions to operate. This means a good level of funding so that high quality can be maintained on programs, new technology can be developed, and they can be accessible to all groups in society. We also want to see long-term conditions and guaranteed independence. We regret that it was not possible to reach an agreement in the Riksdag on a constitutional protection for public service, but we hope that in the future we can reach a broad consensus on strengthening the companies' independent position.
In recent years, I have participated in the Culture Committee's debates on what is so beautifully called radio and television in the public service, and the tone from some of the right-wing parties has unfortunately been quite high. Most recently, a few weeks ago, one wanted to speak of a left-wing bias with reference to what was said about TV2 at its start in 1969. I hope that now, as we begin to work in a new public service committee to develop the broadcasting terms for 2026, we can set aside these types of anecdotes and personal opinions and tastes and instead take in research on the development of the media landscape and knowledge about the new digital technology. We need to delve into the preparedness mandate and tackle the challenges of the future.
It is promising, I think, that we are in agreement here today to proceed with the proposals in the bill. Previous speakers have explained the content, so I will not go into all the details. But it feels important to also look at the criticism that several of the referral bodies present.
Madam Speaker! It would have been good if we could already now include both text and images on the internet that the companies are responsible for - this in order to obtain a comprehensive regulation when it comes to the internet. Several referral bodies have requested this. It was, however, judged as all too extensive changes in the middle of a permit period, so therefore we from Vänsterpartiet have abstained from demanding it today. But I will monitor this issue in the upcoming committee work, because it is important that we get comprehensive and technology-neutral legislation in place. Not least, it is fundamental that all content should be able to be reviewed. It is important in order to maintain the high trust from the public.
Another important part of preserving this trust is to ensure independence. The public must be able to be completely certain that politicians cannot influence the content and the editorial decisions. A first step was taken when active members of parliament were no longer allowed to sit on the board of directors, but more steps need to be taken.
Today we are to make a decision on whether the preliminary review of new services should be moved from the government to an agency. From Vänsterpartiet, we have been critical of the entire current construction of the review. The preliminary review means today that new program services or other more important services that the public service companies want to launch must be reported to the government and the Swedish Press, Radio and Television Authority for review and approval. What is reviewed is the service's market impact and how it contributes to fulfilling the mandate in the public service.
What is new during this broadcasting period is that other actors will also be able to report the companies' services for preliminary review. We in Vänsterpartiet believe that this is fundamentally problematic. We see it as a threat to the program companies' independence.
KU has previously commented on how the preliminary review relates to the freedom of expression act, to the freedom of establishment, and to the prohibition of censorship, and there are several parts in this that are sensitive. Today, however, we do not oppose the proposal to move the decision to the Swedish Press and Broadcasting Authority, because we think it is a certain improvement in the current system to move the decision from the government. But we remain critical, and therefore we have a specific statement in today's report.
I move for the approval of the committee's proposal in its entirety.
Malin Danielsson (L)
Madam Speaker! It is an important part of our democracy to have a broad and independent public service that the citizens can trust, which provides objective and correct information and fulfills the conditions for broadcasting licenses that we decide here in the Riksdag. To review this, there is the Review Board. The Review Board carries out, on the one hand, content reviews of individual programs reported by the public, which is an important part when it comes to maintaining trust in public service, and on the other hand, an annual review of how the public service companies fulfill all the conditions that apply to the operations.
Content conditions for public service on the internet
In addition to the broadcasts of radio and TV in the terrestrial network, the public service companies today provide virtually their entire program range over the internet, which mainly takes place via play services. I believe that many who agree with me appreciate that they are available to be accessed. The conditions in the broadcasting licenses, however, only apply to the public service companies' broadcasts in the terrestrial network. It is a technical issue we are talking about here, then.
When the public service offering is distributed via the internet and we access it through, for example, websites, streaming services and apps, the possibility for the public to set conditions regarding content and to review whether the conditions are met is very limited.
Madam Speaker! I, along with the broadcasting license that the Riksdag most recently decided on, allows the public service companies to, to some extent, credit program activities conducted on freely accessible open parts of the internet when assessing whether the conditions in the broadcasting licenses are met. This, combined with the fact that public service is largely reached via the internet, makes it reasonable that the content conditions that apply in the terrestrial network also apply to those parts of public service that reach us via the internet. Therefore, I move for approval of the committee's proposal.
The deliberation was hereby concluded.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.