Mellan insyn och informationskontroll : En kvalitativ intervjustudie av hur öppenhet förhandlas mellan journalister och poliser

Sammanfattning

The purpose of this study was to examine how journalists and police officers understand “openness” and to identify the problems and challenges that arise from their differing understandings. Through qualitative semi-structured interviews with five local journalists and five police officers in Police Region North conducted in December 2025, the study explores: 1) how the actors understand “openness” in relation to each other, 2) what strategies are used to negotiate openness, and 3) what tensions occur in the interaction between the two groups. The theoretical framework comprises public sphere theory, mediatization, legitimacy, and branding. The results show that journalists tend to view openness as an unconditional concept, whereas police officers define openness as conditional and limited by confidentiality, primarily regarding preliminary investigations. Another key finding concerns the different strategies used by the actors. Journalists rely on informal contacts and trust-building measures, while police officers employ strategies such as “no comment” responses, branding, and reassurance communication. Additionally, the tensions identified were described as inevitable and characterized by antagonism. While these findings suggest that the Swedish Police Authority faces structural problems regarding transparency, we suggest further studies to examine the extent of these issues within the Swedish police force specifically, as well as in the public sector at large.