Responsible publishers from all over Sweden gathered for the first time in a virtual video meeting

These are some of the issues discussed at SVT's latest publishing forum. Responsible publishers from all over Sweden: from the national news, the Sport and our 21 local editors, who are normally seen physically, were gathered for the first time in a virtual video meeting.

It was unusual but went surprisingly well, not least because the need to discuss publicist is so great.

The national news publisher Charlotta Friborg described his ethical considerations when displaying images from intensive care. The infection is invisible, and not least in the beginning of the pandemic it was easy to feel that it was affecting the elderly, far away.

When the medical services in Italy welcomed our European team Christoffer Wendick and Filip Huygens, it was made very conscious: the Italian doctors wanted the Swedes to see the terrible consequences of the coronary and prepare. The reports from Italy, and later also from Swedish intensive care units, are painful to see. The pictures show severely ill and dying patients who have difficulty getting air, surrounded by personnel in protective equipment.

But, as Charlotta reasoned internally and in programs like the Media: we must also be able to show the seriousness of the situation. The images from the intensive end up in a painful gallery of other images that affected and made the world understand the extent of tragedy: such as the falling bodies of the World Trade Center on September 11, the image of the drowning Alan Kurdi's 3-year-old body and images after the tsunami disaster.

SVT News Skåne's publisher Göran Eklund told how he wrestled with whether to name a retirement home where many died. He has pondered the publicity damage it may entail, but has weighed on the public's interest in knowing heavier and chose to publish the name. Charlotta Friborg also emphasized the importance of giving voice to all those exposed who do not have strong own representatives in the debate.

SVT News Dalarnas publisher Nina Funke and SVT News Västernorrland's publisher Carola Isaksson described the need for us to see the different stages Sweden is in. and that SVT News - when the situation eases in Mälardalen - is able to keep a close watch on how the infection strikes in the country.

Eva Landahl, publisher of the news community program, reflected on how challenging the corona crisis is for journalism. We are used to seeking - and getting - quick answers and demand responsibility immediately. But here are few quick answers to get. The process is more drawn out than any other news event in modern times. We are obviously asking critical questions, but at the same time, it may take years before we know for sure what the consequences of the infection have been and before we can safely compare the outcome with other countries.

Josefin Ziegler, acting assistant program manager for local news, stressed the importance of being able to stop and deepen events during this crisis when news formally flattens out.

Ingvar Näslund, responsible publisher in Västerbotten, highlighted via e-mail how well the collaboration between national news and local news can work when we combine the "locomotive "'s ability to be close to people with the national news's overall scrutiny and access to experts and authorities. Here we all see a potential to develop. We talked about the need to both inform and to provide news from government and government representatives but to balance it with analysis, review and everyday reporting.

We raised the question of when different publishers within SVT make different judgments. Of course, that can be a problem. The public can get confused when, for example, you get to know the name of a clandestine municipal politician in the local news program, but not in the national news. But the strength of publishing is that it is individual. It is a personal responsibility. Wise people can land in different, well-motivated assessments. And there is a big difference in how important a particular issue is. A politician may be completely unknown on the national level while the name is relevant locally. Not naming can also risk suspecting the wrong people in a small circle.

For me, the publisher forum was a life-giving discussion and a reminder of the favor of SVT with a multitude of publisher voices. The publishers and their employees help us to better understand similarities and differences in Sweden. They carry the responsibility around the clock and they navigate skilfully in this corona crisis that is unlike any other news event.