Konsulatet och pressen : Informationsflödet under tyska ockupationen av Norge genom diplomatisk rapportering och tre svenska tidningars narrativ, juli 1941 och januari 1944

Sammanfattning: This study deals with the issue of dissemination of information during wars and conflicts, more precisely the occupation of Norway with a key focus on the chain of information to Sweden. During the Second World War and the occupation of Norway, all foreign representation became banished and all diplomatic relations were referred to Berlin. Thus, all embassies and consular activities seized to exist. All but the Swedish consulate. A unique information passage, therefore, remained between Sweden and the occupied Norway. While this was happening, the struggle for interpretive precedence roared between Swedish newspapers. The one with the newest and most concrete information could gain more readers and thus pursue their political agenda. Three major Swedish newspapers have been used in this study: Dagens Nyheter, Aftonbladet, and Svenska Dagbladet. Two theoretical frameworks have been used to understand, interpret, and analyze the source material. The first deals with diplomatic functions and was developed by Stuart Murray. The second deals with strategic narratives and was developed by Laura Roselle, Alister Miskimmon and Ben O’Loughlin. The result of this study can be summarized as follows, the diplomatic function of the reports from the Swedish consulate in Oslo is in majority of traditional character, in the essence that it was for high-ranking officials by high-ranking officials. Although most reports were traditional, some messages addressed actors such as the Swedish church but also the Swedish press directly. The consulate verified and denied information that had been published in the Swedish newspapers. The strategic narratives that emerged from the newspapers witnessed a mild attitude at the beginning of the war and a more critical at the end. Only Aftonbladet pursued an anti-Bolshevik stance initially while the other two papers had a more concerning coverage about the Norwegian situation. The relationship between the consulate and the press can therefore be explicitly established with this study, while more work needs to be done before a conclusion can be drawn.