aftonbladet

The newspaper was founded by Lars Johan Hierta in December 1830 under the name of {{Lang|sv|Aftonbladet i Stockholm}}{{cite book|author1=Karl Erik Gustafsson |author2=Per Rydén |title=A History of the Press in Sweden |date=2010 |publisher=Nordicom |location=Gothenburg |isbn=978-91-86523-08-4 |url=http://presshistoria.se/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/A-history-of-the-Press-in-Sweden.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150213232250/http://presshistoria.se/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/A-history-of-the-Press-in-Sweden.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=2015-02-13 |access-date=13 February 2015 }}{{cite news|title=The press in Sweden|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3553279.stm|access-date=18 November 2014|work=BBC News|date=2004}}{{cite book|author=Byron J. Nordstrom|title=Culture and Customs of Sweden|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RVEp3T5TLu4C&pg=PA84|year=2010|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-0-313-34371-1|page=84}} during the modernization of Sweden. Often critical and oppositional, the paper was repeatedly banned from publishing. However, Hierta circumvented the bans by constantly reviving the paper under slightly modified names, as, legally speaking, a new publication. Thus, on 16 February 1835, he issued the first edition of New {{Lang|sv|Aftonbladet}}, which would – after yet another ban – be followed by Newer {{Lang|sv|Aftonbladet}}, in turn followed by Fourth {{Lang|sv|Aftonbladet}}, Fifth {{Lang|sv|Aftonbladet}}, and so on.{{cite news |last1=Olsson Olsén |first1=Sofia |title=Inget stoppade Hiertas pressar |url=https://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/kolumnister/a/1kyqQX/inget-stoppade-hiertas-pressar |access-date=13 October 2019 |publisher={{Lang|sv|Aftonbladet}} |date=3 May 2016}} In 1852 the paper began to use its current name, {{Lang|sv|Aftonbladet}}, after a total of 25 name changes. It currently describes itself as an "independent social-democratic newspaper."{{citation needed|date=January 2020}} Augusta Barthelson often wrote small stories in the newspaper.

The owners of {{Lang|sv|Aftonbladet}} are the Swedish Trade Union Confederation (LO) which bought it in the 1950s{{cite book|author=Lennart Weibull|editor1=Henrik Oscarsson|editor2=Stefan Dahlberg|editor3=Lena Wängnerud|title=Stepping Stones|date=2013|publisher=University of Gothenburg|location=Gothenburg|chapter-url=http://www.valforskning.pol.gu.se/digitalAssets/1460/1460559_stepping-stones---dahlberg-oscarsson--w--ngnerud--2013----compromised-version.pdf#page=97|access-date=8 January 2015|chapter=What has Happened with the Political Press? Perspectives on the Erosion in Swedish Newspaper Readership|archive-date=8 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150108213639/http://www.valforskning.pol.gu.se/digitalAssets/1460/1460559_stepping-stones---dahlberg-oscarsson--w--ngnerud--2013----compromised-version.pdf#page=97|url-status=dead}} and Norwegian media group Schibsted, which acquired its share in the paper in the late 1990s.{{cite web|author=Eva Harrie|title=The Nordic Media Market|url=http://www.nordicom.gu.se/sites/default/files/publikationer-hela-pdf/nmt09_001-194.pdf|work=Nordicom, University of Gothenburg|access-date=10 December 2014|location=Göteborg|date=2009}} LO sold a large part of its shares in the paper to the Schibsted group.{{cite journal|author1=Sigurd Allern|author2=Mark Blach-Ørsten|title=The News Media as a Political Institution|journal=Journalism Studies|date=2011|volume=12|issue=1|pages=92–105|doi=10.1080/1461670X.2010.511958|s2cid=143196672}} As per 15 June 2009 Schibsted bought another 41% and became the majority owner with 91%.[http://di.se/Nyheter/?page=/Avdelningar/Artikel.aspx%3FO%3DRSS%26ArticleId%3D2009%255C06%255C15%255C341622 DI.se]{{dead link|date=February 2015}} However, LO has the right to appoint the political editor of the paper.

{{Lang|sv|Aftonbladet}}, based in Stockholm, is published in tabloid format.{{cite news|author=Adam Smith|title=Europe's Top Papers|url=http://www.campaignlive.co.uk/news/164161/|access-date=5 February 2015|work=campaign|date=15 November 2002}} The paper reported news and also criticised the new Swedish king Charles XIV John. The king stopped {{Lang|sv|Aftonbladet}} from being printed and banned it. This was answered by starting the new newspaper "{{Lang|sv|Det andra Aftonbladet}}" (The second {{Lang|sv|Aftonbladet|italic=no}}), which was subsequently banned, followed by new versions named in similar fashion until the newspaper had been renamed 26 times, after which it was allowed by the king.[http://koncernen.aftonbladet.se/koncernen/historik/article3658.ab {{Lang|sv|Aftonbladet blev starten för den fria pressen i Sverige}}] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070224231145/http://koncernen.aftonbladet.se/koncernen/historik/article3658.ab |date=24 February 2007 }} {{Lang|sv|Aftonbladet}}, Retrieved 11 July 2007'.

During its existence, {{Lang|sv|Aftonbladet}} has leant in different political directions. Initially liberal, it drifted towards conservatism under Harald Sohlman, editor in chief from 1890 to 1921.

In 1929, the newspaper came under the control of the Kreuger family, when a majority of the shares was bought by Swedish Match, at that time the heart of Ivar Kreuger's corporate empire. {{Lang|sv|Aftonbladet}} was labeled "neutral". In 1932 it backed Per Albin Hansson's new Social Democratic government. Just a few years later it realigned with the Liberal Party and turned to advocate liberal politics. Heavily influenced by pro-German staff members, the newspaper supported Germany during World War II.[http://koncernen.aftonbladet.se/in_english/article3904.ab Hierta, the founder of Aftonbladet, created the free press in Sweden] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070830190214/http://koncernen.aftonbladet.se/in_english/article3904.ab |date=30 August 2007 }} {{Lang|sv|Aftonbladet}}, Retrieved 24 August 2009''

The Kreuger era came to an end on 8 October 1956. Despite interest from both the Liberal Party and the Centre Party, Torsten Kreuger sold {{Lang|sv|Aftonbladet}} as well as Stockholms-Tidningen to the Swedish Trade Union Confederation.{{cite book|title=Newspapers in International Librarianship: Papers Presented by the Newspaper Section at IFLA General Conferences|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0F6U82kZXjsC&pg=PA18|year=2003|publisher=Walter de Gruyter|isbn=978-3-11-096279-6|page=18}} Since then, the editorial line has been supportive of the Social Democrats. The ownership change was first followed by a slight drop in circulation. In the 1960s, however, the newspaper saw its circulation surge rapidly, peaking at 507,000.

By the early 1990s {{Lang|sv|Aftonbladet}} had run into economic problems, and many had begun to question the competence of the trade union movement as a media owner. On 2 May 1996, the Norwegian media group Schibsted acquired a 49.9 percent stake in the newspaper. The Swedish Trade Union Confederation kept the remaining 50.1 percent of its shares. The same year its circulation passed that of long-time tabloid rival {{Lang|sv|Expressen}}. In 2005 {{Lang|sv|Aftonbladet}} started a Web portal for business news as a joint venture with Svenska Dagbladet.{{cite web|author=Maria Grafström|title=The Development of Swedish Business Journalism|url=http://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:645930/FULLTEXT01.pdf|work=Uppsala University|access-date=29 November 2014|format=PhD Thesis|date=2006}}

In 1998, the circulation of {{Lang|sv|Aftonbladet}} was 397,000 copies on weekdays and 502,000 copies on Sundays.{{cite journal|author1=Stig Hadenius|author2=Lennart Weibull|title=The Swedish Newspaper System in the Late 1990s. Tradition and Transition|journal=Nordicom Review|date=1999|volume=1|issue=1|url=http://www.nordicom.gu.se/sites/default/files/kapitel-pdf/31_hadenius-weibull.pdf|access-date=31 December 2014}} The circulation of the paper was 402,000 copies in 2001. As of 2004 the paper was the most selling daily both in Sweden and in other Nordic countries, having a circulation of 422,000 copies. It was 429,000 copies on weekdays in 2005.{{cite web|title=Swedish mass media |url=http://www.swedenabroad.com/SelectImageX/178411/Swedish_mass_media%5B1%5D.pdf |publisher=Swedish Institute |access-date=18 November 2014 |date=2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140210125306/http://www.swedenabroad.com/SelectImageX/178411/Swedish_mass_media%5B1%5D.pdf |archive-date=10 February 2014}} In 2006 the paper had 1,425,000 daily readers (Orvesto research 2005:2), circa 15% of the Swedish population. The paper had a circulation of 310,900 copies in 2010.{{cite encyclopedia|title=Aftonbladet|encyclopedia=Nationalencyklopedin|language=sv|url=http://www.ne.se/aftonbladet|access-date=25 March 2011}} It had a circulation of 154,900 copies in 2014.{{cite web|title=PwC's Media Certificate |url=http://www.pwc.se/sv/media/pwc-medieintyg.jhtml |work=PwC |access-date=11 January 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129114901/http://www.pwc.se/sv/media/pwc-medieintyg.jhtml |archive-date=29 November 2014}}

The journalistic quality of {{Lang|sv|Aftonbladet}} and other tabloid newspapers has sometimes been questioned. In late 2006, the paper's own journalist Peter Kadhammar criticized the paper's treatment of the love life of Swedish tabloid celebrity Linda Rosing as equally important to the war in Iraq.{{cite web|url=http://aftonbladet.se/kultur/article470139.ab|title=Rosing, Rosing, Rosing... hjälp!|work=Aftonbladet}}

However, {{Lang|sv|Aftonbladet}} has drawn more attention for the strident left-wing stance and controversial publications of its cultural section. Under former culture editor Åsa Linderborg, the cultural section was criticized by pro-Israel groups for taking an anti-Israeli stance, and in some instances Linderborg was accused of publishing opinion pieces that alluded to anti-Semitic concepts.{{cite news|title=Den farligaste av lögner |first=Peter |last=Wolodarski |author-link=Peter Wolodarski |url=http://www9.dn.se/opinion/signerat/den-farligaste-av-logner-1.72573 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120527162932/http://www9.dn.se/opinion/signerat/den-farligaste-av-logner-1.72573 |url-status=dead |archive-date=27 May 2012 |work=Dagens Nyheter |date=2 April 2002 |access-date=24 August 2009 |language=sv |trans-title=The most dangerous av lies }}{{cite book|title=Återkomsten : antisemitism i Sverige efter 1945 |last=Bachner|first=Henrik|year=1999|work=Natur & Kultur|location=Stockholm|language=sv|isbn=978-91-27-07641-9|trans-title=The Revival: Antisemitism in Sweden since 1945}}{{cite journal|title=none|year=2006|journal=Judisk Krönika}}{{cite book|title=Det är demokratin, dumbom!|last=Ahlmark |first=Per|author-link=Per Ahlmark|year=2004|work=Timbro|location=Stockholm|language=sv|isbn=978-91-7566-548-1 |page=80|trans-title=It's the Democracy, Stupid!}}{{cite web|url=http://www.aftonbladet.se/kultur/article5691805.ab|title=Our sons are plundered of their organs|work=Aftonbladet|date=26 August 2009 }}{{cite news|title=Aftonbladet har sedan länge ett problematiskt förhållande till judar |author1=Charlotte Wiberg |author2=Jonathan Leman |work=Newsmill |url=http://newsmill.se/artikel/2009/08/23/aftonbladets-har-sedan-lange-ett-problematiskt-forhallande-till-judar |date=23 August 2009 |access-date=24 August 2009 |language=sv |trans-title=Aftonbladet has for long had a problematic relationship to Jews |quote=Är Aftonbladet en antisemitisk tidning? Nej, men det verkar som att man sedan 1980-talet ibland gör sig både blind och döv inför antisemitismens uttryck, vilket medför att man då och då slirar på ett sätt som få andra tidningar. Publiceringen av Boströms artikel tycks tyvärr inte ha varit ett olycksfall i arbetet, utan går att som ett led i ett större mönster. |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090827000903/http://newsmill.se/artikel/2009/08/23/aftonbladets-har-sedan-lange-ett-problematiskt-forhallande-till-judar |archive-date=27 August 2009}} Linderborg was also criticized over a series of articles relating to Russia, and there have been persistent allegations that the cultural section has promoted pro-Moscow narratives, including on the Russo-Ukrainian War.{{cite news|title=Vi skjuter politiska motståndare |url=http://www.aftonbladet.se/kultur/article19677596.ab |access-date=26 June 2017 |language=sv}}{{cite news |title=Fredrik Wahlström: Aftonbladets Ukraina-journalistik väcker frågor |url=http://sverigesradio.se/sida/artikel.aspx?programid=478&artikel=5995983s |access-date=26 June 2017 |language=sv }}{{dead link|date=September 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{cite news|title=Hemliga namnen i studien om Kremlfjäsk|url=http://www.expressen.se/kultur/hemliga-namnen-i-studien-om-kremlfjask/ |access-date=26 June 2017|language=sv}}{{cite news|title=Aftonbladet Kultur kritiseras för att sprida Putins världsbild|url=http://sverigesradio.se/sida/artikel.aspx?programid=478&artikel=6604477|language=sv|access-date=26 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171020153401/http://sverigesradio.se/sida/artikel.aspx?programid=478&artikel=6604477|archive-date=20 October 2017|url-status=dead}} Linderborg denied the accusations.{{cite news|url=http://www.aftonbladet.se/kultur/a/ErWvo/forsvara-det-fria-ordet|access-date=26 June 2017|language=sv|title=Försvara det fria ordet}} However, after sparking yet another round of Russia-related controversy, she resigned in 2019.

{{Lang|sv|Aftonbladet}} was an early adopter of Internet publishing. It has been published on the World Wide Web since 25 August 1994, and the main news service is free. Since its inception, aftonbladet.se has consistently been rated as one of the five most visited Swedish websites in various surveys.

• List of newspapers in Sweden

{{Reflist}}

• {{Official website|http://www.aftonbladet.se}}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20060713052347/http://koncernen.aftonbladet.se/sidor/artiklar.php?vid=722 Company history]

{{Schibsted}}

{{Newspapers in Sweden}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Aftonbladet}}

Category:1830 establishments in Sweden

Category:Daily newspapers published in Sweden

Category:Newspapers established in 1830

Category:Newspapers published in Stockholm

Category:Social democratic media

Category:Swedish-language newspapers

Category:Swedish news websites