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What a strange time we live in. So the Swedes. As the only country in the world with a devious crown strategy, we are a pawn in an international political game. Regardless of the political worldview, Sweden can be used to project good or evil. Sweden is the worst, Sweden is the best.
In such a polarized situation where Sweden acts alone in the world arena, journalism is necessary. And where is? Yes, for example in the New York Times (NYT). The world’s leading newspaper. But when they describe Sweden, it is as if all balance disappears. As if the pandemic is not only a disease for the body, but also for the ability to describe the world fairly.
Just look at Thursday’s article (8/10).
Peter S Goodman is the name of the journalist who was appointed by the newspaper to explain Sweden to the readers of the world. He seems to be furious on the field. In April, he wrote that Sweden stands out for adopting a “wacky” strategy. When he was going to summarize Sweden’s election in July, he wrote an almost simple incorrect text with the headline “Sweden was open to save the economy.” The article provided an incentive for the world’s politicians to once again move the Sweden tile back and forth in the political game. And yesterday it was Goodman’s turn again, now with Swedish Erik Augustin Palm. Palm has previously written in Slate that Anders Tegnell had a “lobotomized disregard” for the death toll in Sweden. In a deleted twitter account Palm has said that Tegnell has a “developmental disorder.”
“Pandemic Reveals Holes in Sweden’s Generous Welfare State” is now the headline of their joint New York Times article. They feverishly try to break through what is already a kicked-in door: Sweden has failed to protect the elderly. Nobody denies it, but now a new angle has to be found, which mostly leads to a series of mistakes. As if the privatization of elderly care led to deaths.
This is the introductory premise of the article and only very low in the text does the newspaper attempt to correct it by admitting that the Swedish media have already published comparisons showing otherwise. GP, for example, conducted a survey showing that municipal nursing homes have been hit harder than for-profit nursing homes. Or that Swedish nursing homes are more affected than other countries. Which is not true either. In percentage terms, Sweden has done better than, for example, Norway. But in general, it is very difficult to compare nursing homes between countries, because the conditions are very different. And the same with respect to the fact that the Swedes would be denied care.
There are anecdotes about how the elderly received palliative care, although it may not have been necessary, but there is evidence at the structural level. The criticism is really reasonable, but it needs nuance if you want to describe the strategy of an entire country in a single article. Those shades lack NEW. It is all too true that the National Board of Health and Welfare had clear documents that no one should be denied care because of age. Whether some older people still have a “biological age” that makes IVA treatment impossible is another matter. The fact is that Sweden has never had a shortage of, for example, intensive care units: the field hospital in Älvsjö never had to open.
It feels strange to have to write this text. Especially since it appears to be a defense speech loyal to the regime in a Sweden where everyone agrees on a series of devastating failures. Especially since otherwise I have worked hard to reveal it. Everything from errors in government calculations, contracts, friendships and the place of herd immunity in strategy.
But if we want to learn anything about managing the pandemic in Sweden, we must be factual with the basic facts and correct with the premises. At a time when rumors are spreading on the internet and politicians stop caring about the truth, journalism should be a beacon for the truth. What the NYT shows is how political turbulence can corrupt even that idea.
What is left for us then?
Read more texts by Emanuel Karlsten:
READ MORE: Emanuel Karlsten: Do thousands of people have to sit in the same physical space?
READ MORE: That’s why politicians appear as trolls on the internet
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