”Den som granskar samhället måste också själv kunna tåla att bli granskad” : En fallstudie i Aftonbladets nyhetsrapportering av anklagelserna om våldtäkt och andra sexualbrott mot journalisten Fredrik Virtanen

Sammanfattning: The aim of the study was to examine how the newspaper Aftonbladet reported the accusation on the journalist Fredrik Virtanen concerning sexual harassment and rape. He was at the time of the accusations employed at Aftonbladet as a chronicler and columnist. Aftonbladet has been criticized for inadequate coverage of the case. The main questions this study examined are: How and what did Aftonbladet report regarding one of their own journalists being accused for sexual harrassment? And how did the reporting comply with the editorial policy at Aftonbladet? The method of the study was a case study and critical discourse analysis, with the aim to examine news and whether the newspaper followed its editorial policy. The main theme listed in the texts published by Aftonbladet was that an Aftonbladet employee was accused for rape. Additional themes where discourses regarding the work environment at Aftonbladet and a moral discourse regarding the ethics of publishing names and reporting openly about the accusations. Other accusations than rape are not mentioned in Aftonbladet, except in one article regarding an interview with Fredrik Virtanen. Further, the published texts mainly consists of opinions and interviews of management at Aftonbladet, including Fredrik Virtanen. Thus, Aftonbladet has reported the case one-sidedly. The message mediated in texts regarding press ethics and news prioritation is that the case was primarly treated as a staff issue rather than news. The criticism directed against Aftonbladet regarding lack of news reporting and openness has been answered by Aftonbladet with reference to the fact that the newspaper follows the press ethics and publishing rules.  However, it can be determined that Aftonbladet, despite its reference to press ethics, did not follow its own editorial policy when reporting the case.