THE NEWSPAPERS OF NORWAY AND SWEDEN
There are seven hundred and fifty-one newspapers and periodicals in
Sweden, including fifty-two dailies. Stockholm has twelve dailies,
seven published in the morning and five in the evening, which is a
large number for a city of three hundred and ten thousand inhabitants,
and the wonder is how they all manage to exist. None of them is as
large as the ordinary dailies in the United States. It is the practice
of the Swedish editors to waste very little room in headlines, and
to condense as much as possible. They state facts without padding or
comment, and manage to bring the daily allowance of news within ten
or twelve columns. There is usually a continued story, three or four
articles of a literary character, a couple of columns of clippings and
miscellany, and the same amount of editorial. The balance of the paper
is given up to advertising, but with all that it is seldom necessary
to print more than four pages. The morning papers stick to the blanket
sheet.
Most of the Stockholm papers have a good advertising patronage, which
runs to display at times. The Swedish business men have learned that
it pays to advertise. The rates are much lower than in the United
States. The ordinary want ad. costs from seven to ten cents, and for
display advertisements the rates run from two and one-half to twenty
cents a line, according to the location. In the semi-weekly edition
of _Aftonbladet_, which is considered the best advertising medium
in Sweden on account of its large circulation and superior class of
readers, display ads. in preferred places cost about twenty-eight
cents a line.
The subscription price corresponds. You can have any one of the
evening papers delivered at your house for $3 a year, and the highest
rate for the morning dailies is $5 a year. It is worth while to know
that postmasters in Sweden will receive subscriptions for newspapers
published in any part of the world. A small fee is exacted to cover
the amount of postage and the stationery required in forwarding the
subscription.
The father of cheap newspapers in Sweden is Anders Jeurling, the
publisher of _Stockholm-Tidningen_ and _Hyvad Nytt i Dag_, who started
the first-named journal about twelve years ago and sold it on the
street for two _öre_, which is about one-half cent. Now the price of
the former is four _öre_, about one cent, and of the latter a half
cent. The former paper has the largest circulation in the city of
Stockholm, its ordinary edition reaching about one hundred thousand
copies, but _Aftonbladet_ exceeds it in the country. Mr. Jeurling
has the reputation of being the ablest publisher in Sweden, and is a
better business man than the editor. He has made a fortune out of
his papers on the theory that the people care more for news than
for politics. Mr. Adolph Hallgren is the editor-in-chief of
_Stockholms-Tidningen_, and the managing editor is Mr. F. Zethraens,
who studied journalism in the office of the Chicago _Record-Herald_.
The official paper of the Swedish government is _Post och Inriches
Tidning_, which was founded as far back as 1645, and is one of the
oldest periodicals in the world. For more than a century it has been
published under the auspices of the Swedish Academy, an organization
of eighteen of the most learned scholars and philosophers in the
kingdom. The editor is Dr. J.A. Spilhammar, a very learned gentleman,
who, on account of his position, is naturally conservative and
discreet in all his utterances.
_Aftonbladet_, a liberal evening paper, to which I have already
alluded, has the greatest circulation in Sweden, the daily edition
varying from one hundred and fifty thousand to one hundred and sixty
thousand copies, and it is one of the most influential forces in the
kingdom. The editor, Harald Sohlman, is regarded is an able writer and
shrewd business man. He is also editor and publisher of _Dagen_, a
morning paper, liberal in politics, which has a circulation of
about forty thousand copies, and is sold at three _öre_--about
three-quarters of a cent. _Aftonbladet's_ semi-weekly edition goes
into every corner of the kingdom, has a high literary standard,
contains correspondence from all the European capitals, and has a
special department devoted to news concerning the Swedes and Swedish
affairs in America.
The most conservative of all Swedish papers is _Nya Dagligt
Allehanda_, edited by Dr. J.A. Bjorklund. Its circulation is confined
almost exclusively to the nobility and wealthier classes, and is said
to be more loyal to the government than royalty itself.
_Vart Land_, another conservative paper, edited by Professor Gustaf
Torelius, an eminent author and scholar, is an organ of the Swedish
state church, and on that account is taken by every Lutheran
clergyman and active layman in the kingdom. It contains the official
announcement of the minister of religion and the archbishop, and is
especially given to news of an ecclesiastical character. Its most
prominent writer is Dr. C.D. af Wirsén, one of "the immortal eighteen"
of the Swedish Academy and a lyric poet of reputation.
_Svenska Morgonbladet_, another religious daily, opposes _Vart Land_,
and represents the dissenters from the established church. Its
circulation, according to its sarcastic competitors, "is limited to
those who have been saved." Its most eminent contributor and patron
is Dr. Peter Paul Waldenström, founder and leader of the Free Lutheran
Church, "the Swedish Moody." Scarcely a week passes without an article
from his pen in _Morgonbladet_, which gives that paper its standing
among Free Lutherans.
_Dagbladet_ is the only paper in Stockholm which is issued twice a
day, and it has also a Sunday edition. It styles itself in politics
a "moderate," but is more popular among the conservatives than the
liberals. Having the city printing, it is not inclined to quarrel with
its bread and butter.
_Dagens Nyheter_, a liberal morning paper, made a fortune for Rudolph
Wall, its founder, who died a millionaire. It is considered one of the
most profitable newspaper properties in Europe. It sells for a cent
and a quarter, and has a circulation of about thirty thousand.
The Stockholm paper which imitates the American press most closely
is _Svenska Dagbladet_, ably edited by Helmer Key, a doctor of
philosophy, and C.G. Tengwall, who is regarded as one of the best
all-around newspaper men in Sweden. It has the best class of
contributors of any of the Swedish papers in a literary way, including
Professor Oscar Levertin, Verner von Heidenstam, the poet, Tor
Hedberg, an art and literary critic, and Ellen Key, the authoress,
and the most influential woman in Sweden. The paper has a large
circulation among the thinking people of the country, and exercises a
wide influence.
The official organ of the Royal Yacht Club, the Royal Jockey Club,
and all representative Swedish sport clubs, is the _Ny Tidning för
Idrott_, which is owned by Count Clarence von Rosen, one of the
grandsons of the late Mrs. Bloomfield Moore, of Philadelphia. The
count, himself the finest rider in the Swedish army, edits the horse
news, while Colonel Victor Balck, the father of modern Swedish sports,
and Alex. Lindman are the editors. _Ny Tidning för Idrott_ has a
regular correspondent in America. Hjalmar Branting, leader of the
socialists in Sweden and a member of the second chamber of parliament,
is editor of _Social Demokraten_, the organ of his party. Although
a man of aristocratic origin, he has cast his lot with the laboring
classes. He is a man of great force of character, an able writer, an
eloquent speaker, and is generally respected even by those who can not
approve his views. The circulation of his paper is almost exclusively
confined to the laboring classes.
The compensation of newspaper men in Sweden is much less than in
the United States. The highest salary paid to an editor-in-chief is
$4,000, while the lowest for that position is about $1,500. Managing
editors are paid from $1,200 to $2,000 a year, and ordinary reporters
from $300 to $750 a year. Contributors of fame receive special rates.
The price for news items is two and one-half cents a line. Space
writers seem to be paid more in proportion than the regular members of
the staff, but the difference is more apparent than real, because
of the tendency to condensation. Articles in the Swedish papers are
seldom more than half a column long.
Stockholm has several comic papers, even more in proportion to
population than we have in the United States. The most prominent are
_Strix, Puck, Söndags-Nisse, Kasper_ and _Nya Nisse_. They are small
and comparatively insignificant, and sell for two and one-half cents
a copy. They satirize politicians with good humor, and their cartoons
are based upon current events. There are several literary weeklies,
monthlies, and other periodicals, for Swedes are great readers and,
unlike the Americans, have not lost their taste for poetry. A poet
enjoys a much higher position and larger income from his writings in
Sweden than at home.
There is a Press Club in Stockholm with four hundred and forty
members, of whom twenty-two are women. In 1901 the club arranged
"a week of festivals," including military tournaments, public
entertainments and a fair, and closed with a masquerade ball at the
Royal Opera House to raise funds for a building. It was a great
success. King Oscar accepted an invitation, and enjoyed himself very
much among his "colleagues," as he called them. The king was always
considerate to newspaper men. He appreciated the purpose and
understood the requirements of reporters, and never failed to assist
them whenever he was able to do so. Hence he was very popular among
them, and they reciprocated by showing their appreciation in every
possible way. The old king once said to Hjalmar Branting, the
socialist editor:
"We have different opinions, Branting, but we are both working for the
welfare of our country."
In 1897, during the international congress of the press at Stockholm,
the king gave the editors a banquet at the Royal Castle at
Drottningholm, and mingled among them as "one of yourselves." He also
proposed a toast in most complimentary language.
Oscar II made many speeches, and upon occasions of great formality he
used manuscript, but generally spoke without notes, preparing himself
in advance by study and reflection. When he spoke from manuscript,
he invariably furnished copies to the press, and was never known to
request that part of his speech be suppressed.
Reporters are invariably admitted to state ceremonials. There is very
little secrecy about the Stockholm court, and intrigue is entirely
unknown in Swedish politics. There are no mysteries in the council
chamber and no skeletons in the royal closet. Hence the doors are
open, and the reporters can come and go as they please. As a natural
consequence comparatively little attention is paid to affairs at the
palace. There is an announcement every morning of the movements of the
king and the royal family and occurrences of public interest, but with
very little detail, and the newspapers depend upon the officials to
furnish the information voluntarily. Reporters are seldom sent to the
palace unless some special inquiry is necessary.
The story is told that once when Oscar II went to Gothenburg to attend
a dedication or opening of something or other, where he was expected
to make a speech, he was intercepted at the railway station by an
enterprising reporter who wanted a copy of his speech. The paper was
to be published that afternoon, and there would be no time for a
stenographer to write out his notes afterward. The king greeted him
pleasantly and explained that he had no manuscript; that he intended
to speak without notes. The reporter was very much dissappointed,
and confided to the king that he was a new man and that his future
standing with his employer might be seriously affected if he failed
to get the speech. King Oscar responded sympathetically, invited the
reporter to get into his carriage, and while they were driving to the
hotel, gave a brief synopsis of what he expected to say.
Newspapers in Norway are not so good an investment; in fact, none of
them may be considered financial ventures. As a rule, they have to be
assisted by the government or by political clubs in order to survive.
Their subscription lists are limited, the largest circulation in
Norway not exceeding fifteen thousand and few publications print more
than five thousand copies, while advertising pays not more than ten or
twelve cents a line at top prices in the most expensive papers.
An ordinary newspaper reporter in Norway receives a salary of about
$5 a week, while the most competent editors are satisfied with $20 or
$25. Norway was the last of the European countries, except Turkey,
to adopt the art of printing, notwithstanding its early famous
literature, but to-day has four hundred and twenty-nine newspapers
and periodicals, an average of one to every five thousand of the
population; one hundred and ninety-six are political newspapers;
eighty-eight are literary weeklies, and one hundred and forty-five
are reviews, magazines, professional, religious, and scientific
publications.
_Norske Intelligens-Seddeler_ is one of the oldest papers in the
world, having been founded in Christiania in 1763, and has been the
organ of the government from the beginning. For a century and a
quarter its contents were limited to advertisements and official
announcements. It was a sort of a government gazette, but when Hjalmar
Loken took hold of it, ten or twelve years ago, he changed its
character entirely and has turned it into a good modern newspaper
and a vigorous advocate of government measures, exercising a wide
influence through its columns.
Monopolies were formerly granted to newspapers in Norway. The
government allowed only one paper to be published within the limits
of an ecclesiastical diocese, or at least only the favored paper was
permitted to receive money for the publication of advertisements.
Competitors resorted to all sorts of ingenious methods, by issuing
pamphlets and 'handbills and such things, that a free discussion of
political issues might be had, but it was not until 1786 that the last
monopoly, which happened to be in the city of Trondhjem, expired. In
1814 freedom of the press was granted by the new constitution, and
from that date the political agitators have found expression in
various publications, and partisanship has often risen to a bitterness
that would not be permitted in other countries. The Norway newspapers
have not known a censor since that date.
_Morganbladet_, the first daily, was established in 1819, and has
played an important part in the political affairs of the. country. It
is still very influential, being edited with great ability by Mr.
Nils Vogt. Björnson, the author, has been connected with two
newspapers--the first, _Krydseren_, a literary weekly which survived
only a few years, and _Verdens Gang_, which has been published since
1868 as the leading organ of the liberal party. Among its editors and
contributors have been other distinguished men, poets, dramatists, and
novelists. Nearly every writer of distinction has contributed to its
columns, for most of the thinking men of Norway are liberals. Since
1878 Mr. Thommessen has been the editor, and he was the first to
modernize the Norwegian press by printing cable dispatches, cartoons,
caricatures and other illustrations.
_Dagbladet_ is also a widely read and influential daily, under the
editorship of Mr. A.T. Omholt, and has a large circulation. Its list
of contributors has included some of the most distinguished writers
of the country. There are numerous other dailies of more or less
influence and circulation, and all the trades and occupations have
organs, as in the United States. In every town and almost every
village, a weekly or semi-weekly is published, usually by the liberal
party, and sometimes by other parties. Even Hammerfest, the most
northerly town in the world, which lies in the Arctic Circle, has two
enterprising weeklies.[q]