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There are several reasons why media
work in this way. One is the quest for
more information about the suspected
perpetrator that could provide explanations
for his behaviour. The identity of
the perpetrator and what characterizes
him is both central and relevant. What
personal qualities make him so different
to the rest of us Another reason is that
new details, preferably enticing, create
new angles and articles and raise the
dramatic content of the news stories. 155
The 35-year-old suspect was subject
to far more scrutiny and unfavourable
opinion than the 24-year-old. Some
statements, especially those from
anonymous sources, created an almost
demoniacal picture of a disturbed,
intelligent but egocentric, violent, racist
and unscrupulous individual. There
were some favourable statements, but
not many. American researcher Steven
Chermak claims that the offender plays
an important role in crime reporting’s
narrative framework. He provides the
elements of “evilness” and “wickedness”
that underpin these standardised stories.
He is also the perpetrator of
the crime and his actions constitute
the element of realism in news stories.
Much of the criticism of news
reporting on Anna Lindh’s murder
focused on how the 35-year-old man
was victimized by the media, especially
by single copy newspapers. One reason
why judgements of the 24-year-old
man were considerably fewer may
thus be due to some self-censorship
by media and greater restraint in their
portrayals. Another reason was that the
media did not gain access to as much
information about the 24-year-old
man. Authorities did not release photos
of him, for example.
Through his lawyers, Gunnar Falk
and Martin Särman, the 35-year-old
man submitted a summons application
to the Stockholm City Court in September
2005 against editor-in-chief
Otto Sjöberg and Expressen, the
second largest Swedish single copy
paper. Objections concerned newspaper
reports on the 35-year-old’s
childhood, “social relations, previous
court reports, excerpts from personal
case studies and examinations by forensic
psychiatrists”. 156
Lack of relevance
Speculation plus vague and anonymous
sources in articles and news items are
two indications of lack of relevance.
In the Anna Lindh murder reporting,
10 percent of all sources were vague
or anonymous, and 40 percent of the
items and articles contained speculations.
This does not necessarily mean
that the speculations were unfounded
or that information was false, but they
could have been. As such, the reporting
contained a significant lack of relevance.
There are several reasons why journalism
resorts to speculation. One is
that reliable and confirmed informa-
155. Chermak 1995.
156. Pressens Tidning 6/06
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