Mördare och poliser

tion but also creates a kind of closed
cycle. The same sources, aspects and
angles appear in several media. The
single copy newspapers adopted a
slightly different approach by interviewing
friends and relatives of the suspect to a
greater extent than other media.
The reporting holds all the earmarks
of a classic detective story. Through
family, friends and acquaintances, the
media tried to portray the 35-year-old
suspect and describe his personality,
background and lifestyle. Indirectly,
they tried to form an opinion of his
character and assess the likelihood
that he murdered Anna Lindh. When
lawyers entered the scene, they led the
event and the story into the next phase
and finally to a conclusion, specifically
the court proceedings and a conviction
for murder.
What did the police do
The police were the most frequently
appearing group and source in the
analysed articles and news items. An
interesting question is how the police
and police work are portrayed in the
reporting.
The individual police measure most
frequently reported in the media was
the arrest, custody and remand of the
perpetrator. But the actions leading up
to his arrest constituted most of their
work. In general, the media portrayed
a proactive and dynamic investigation,
and a resolute and effective police force.
To what extent the media gave
a true picture of police measures is
another issue, however, and linked to
the information that the media could
access and acquire. Sources can influence
how, when and what details are
published. News media depend upon
these sources, but the opposite situation
can also occur. In the Anna Lindh
case, for instance, the police used the
media to appeal for witnesses and
information from the general public.
On 11 September, Police Commissioner
Carin Götblad decided that
the investigation would be conducted
as openly as possible. That same day,
it was also decided that press conferences
would be held on a daily basis
and hosted by the Stockholm Police
Service. Guidelines and strategies for
pending information work were drawn
up by police authorities. There was
great awareness of the media’s search
for information and the importance of
providing details and being available
for questions. 151 In an interview on
TV news programme Rapport, on 26
September, Carin Götblad admitted
that police were trained to meet the
media and equipped to handle journalists
when investigating cases of great
public interest.
Some details about police measures
were general knowledge, such as blocking
off areas and examining the crime
scene. The media obtained other information
from sources and witnesses
outside the police organization, i.e.
151. Johansson 2004.
a classic criminal drama | 135