Swedish defense authority head criticized for attempting to influence TV4 report on political party

Magnus Hjort, head of the Authority for Psychological Defense (MPF), reported TV4’s program “Cold Facts” to the review board in May earlier this year. The program had revealed that the Sweden Democrats were using anonymous accounts. Hjort reported the program because he felt it was not clear that the clips of interviews with MPF staff included in the episodes were not recorded in connection with the review.

Peter Hultqvist, the Social Democrats’ defense policy spokesperson, was heavily critical of the report. He stated that the actions of authority leadership in the early stages greatly influence the sequence of events that follow. The Social Democrats argue that the Authority for Psychological Defense, through the report, made itself a political weapon used to discredit TV4’s review, which Hultqvist describes as a politically important revelation.

Initially, Magnus Hjort (MPF) wanted the interviews with the authority’s staff to be cut out. Later, the report was corrected, and the authority removed the script after it sparked heavy criticism.

Hultqvist expressed strong disapproval of Hjort’s actions, deeming them negligent and poor, with little room for understanding. He criticized Hjort’s demands to the review board to remove parts of the program, which goes against the prohibition of censorship in the constitution, and displayed a clear lack of knowledge about the role of a responsible publisher in media.

The Social Democrats are also critical of the government’s response. Hultqvist believes the government has not acted at all, attempting to glide past the issue by pretending nothing has happened and hoping it will blow over. He insists the government needs to clarify its stance on Magnus Hjort and the authority’s actions as they are ultimately responsible for the issues of trust.