The co-construction of political scandal in hybrid media: A Swedish case study
References
- Allern, S., Kantola, A., Pollack, E., & Blach-Ørsten, M. (2012). Increased scandalization: Nordic political scandals 1980–2009. In S. Allern, & E. Pollack (Eds.),
Scandalous! The mediated construction of political scandals in four Nordic countries (pp. 29–50). Nordicom, University of Gothenburg. https://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:norden:org:diva-10045 - Allern, S., & Pollack, E. (Eds.). (2012a).
Scandalous! The mediated construction of political scandals in four Nordic countries . Nordicom, University of Gothenburg. https://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:norden:org:diva-10045 - Allern, S., & Pollack, E. (2012b). The marketplace of scandals. In S. Allern, & E. Pollack (Eds.),
Scandalous! The mediated construction of political scandals in four Nordic countries (pp. 181–190). Nordicom, University of Gothenburg. https://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:norden:org:diva-10045 - Bennett, W. L., & Segerberg, A. (2013).
The logic of connective action: Digital media and the personalization of contentious politics . Cambridge University Press. - Berger, J. (2016).
Contagious: Why things catch on . Simon & Schuster Paperbacks. - Bergström, J. (2022, April 6). LEDARE: Sabuni förstår inte att Sverige måste försvaras – Åkesson förstår Kreml och sågar vårt försvar [EDITORIAL: Sabuni does not understand that Sweden must be defended – Åkesson understands the Kremlin and sees our defense].
Tidningen Ångermanland . https://www.tidningenangermanland.se/2022-04-06/sabuni-forstar-inte-att-sverige-maste-forsvaras--akesson-forstar-kreml-och-sagar-vart-forsvar - Blom, F. (2022, April 8).
Sabuni avgår som partiledare för Liberalerna [Sabuni resigns as Liberal Party leader ]. Sveriges Radio. https://sverigesradio.se/artikel/sabuni-avgar-som-partiledare-for-liberalerna - Broersma, M., & Graham, T. (2013). Twitter as a news source.
Journalism Practice ,7 (4), 446–464. https://doi.org/10.1080/17512786.2013.802481 - Bucy, E., Gantz, W., & Wang, Z. (2014). Media technology and the 24-hour news cycle. In C. A. Lin, & D. J. Atkin (Eds.),
Communication technology and social change: Theory and implications (pp. 143–164). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781410615411 - Cage, J., Herve, N., & Mazoyer, B. (2020).
Social media influence mainstream media: Evidence from two billion tweets . SSRN. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3663899 - Canter, L. (2015). Personalised tweeting.
Digital Journalism ,3 (6), 888–907. https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2014.973148 - Chadwick, A. (2017).
The hybrid media system: Politics and power (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780190696726.001.0001 - Chadwick, A., & Stromer-Galley, J. (2016). Digital media, power, and democracy in parties and election campaigns: Party decline or party renewal?
The International Journal of Press/Politics ,21 (3), 283–293. https://doi.org/10.1177/1940161216646731 - Couldry, N. (2015). The myth of ‘us’: Digital networks, political change and the production of collectivity.
Information, Communication & Society ,18 (6), 608–626. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2014.979216 - Couldry, N., & Hepp, A. (2016).
The mediated construction of reality . Polity Press. - Ekström, M., & Johansson, B. (2008). Talk scandals.
Media, Culture & Society ,30 (1), 61–79. https://doi.org/10.1177/0163443707084350 - Entman, R. (2013).
Scandal and silence: Media responses to presidential misconduct . John Wiley & Sons. - Entman, R., & Stonbely, S. (2018). Blunders, scandals, and strategic communication in U.S. Foreign policy: Benghazi vs. 9/11.
International Journal of Communication ,12 , 3024–3047. https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/7096 - Flensburg, S., & Lai, S. S. (2024). Public goods and private property. In P. Jakobsson, J. Lindell, & F. Stiernstedt (Eds.),
The future of the Nordic media model: A digital media welfare state? (pp. 179–200). Nordicom, University of Gothenburg. https://doi.org/10.48335/9789188855893 - Gripenberg, P., Lindholm, A., Näslund, L., & Rosén, H. (2021, June 24). Krismöte i Liberalerna efter intern kritik [Crisis meeting in the Liberal Party after internal criticism].
Dagens Nyheter . https://www.dn.se/sverige/krismote-i-liberalerna-efter-intern-kritik/ - Hållbus, S. (2019, June 28).
Nyamko Sabuni vald till partiledare i L [Nyamko Sabuni elected party leader in L ]. Sveriges Radio. https://sverigesradio.se/artikel/7253416 - Hallin, D. C., & Mancini, P. (2004).
Comparing media systems: Three models of media and politics . Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511790867 - Hau, P., Paulussen, S., & Maeseele, P. (2024). The construction of a hybrid media storm: A Belgian case study.
Journalism Practice , 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/17512786.2024.2411433 - Hu, M., Liu, S., Wei, F., Wu, Y., Stasko, J., & Ma, K.-L. (2012). Breaking news on Twitter.
Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems , 2751–2754. https://doi.org/10.1145/2207676.2208672 - Humayun, M. F., & Ferrucci, P. (2022). Understanding social media in journalism practice: A typology.
Digital Journalism ,10 (9), 1502–1525. https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2022.2086594 - Jakobsson, P., Lindell, J., & Stiernstedt, F. (2024). Introduction: The future of the digital media welfare state. In P. Jakobsson, J. Lindell, & F. Stiernstedt (Eds.),
The future of the Nordic media model: A digital media welfare state? (pp. 7–24). Nordicom, University of Gothenburg. https://doi.org/10.48335/9789188855893 - Johnson, M., Paulussen, S., & Van Aelst, P. (2018). Much ado about nothing?
Digital Journalism ,6 (7), 869–888. https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2018.1490657 - Jungherr, A., Posegga, O., & An, J. (2019). Discursive power in contemporary media systems: A comparative framework.
The International Journal of Press/Politics ,24 (4), 404–425. https://doi.org/10.1177/1940161219841543 - Kantar Sifo. (2022).
Räckviddsrapport ORVESTO Konsument [Range report ORVESTO Consumer ] (No. 2022:1). https://www.kantarsifo.se/sites/default/files/reports/documents/rackviddsrapport_orvesto_konsument_2022_1.pdf - Ketelaars, P., & Sevenans, J. (2021). It’s a matter of timing: How the timing of politicians’ information subsidies affects what becomes news.
Political Communication ,38 (3), 260–280. https://doi.org/10.1080/10584609.2020.1763528 - Klinger, U., & Svensson, J. (2015). The emergence of network media logic in political communication: A theoretical approach.
New Media & Society ,17 (8), 1241–1257. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444814522952 - Kristoffersson, S. (2022, April 6). L-ledaren om det blir krig: “Flyr till Norge” [The L leader if there will be war: “Fly to Norway”].
Samnytt . https://samnytt.se/l-ledaren-om-det-blir-krig-flyr-till-norge/ - Langer, A. I., & Gruber, J. B. (2021). Political agenda setting in the hybrid media system: Why legacy media still matter a great deal.
The International Journal of Press/Politics ,26 (2), 313–340. https://doi.org/10.1177/1940161220925023 - Lee, F. L. (2018). Social media, political information cycle, and the evolution of news: The 2017 chief executive election in Hong Kong.
Communication and the Public ,3 (1), 62–76. https://doi.org/10.1177/2057047317742421 - Lengauer, G., Esser, F., & Berganza, R. (2012). Negativity in political news: A review of concepts, operationalizations and key findings.
Journalism ,13 (2), 179–202. https://doi.org/10.1177/1464884911427800 - Liberal Party. (2025).
The Liberals – for freedom, schools and integration. https://web.archive.org/web/20250401080742/https://www.liberalerna.se/in-english - Lönnaeus, O. (2021, January 21). Tunga L-politiker varnar Nyamko Sabuni för SD: ”De spottar på liberalismen” [Tunga L politician warns Nyamko Sabuni för SD: “They mock liberalism”].
Sydsvenskan . https://www.sydsvenskan.se/2021-01-21/missnojet-med-nyamko-sabuni-vaxer-jag-ar-valdigt-besviken/ - Mancini, P. (2018). “Assassination campaigns”: Corruption scandals and news media instrumentalization.
International Journal of Communication ,12 , 3067–3086. https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/7098 - Markham, A. (2012). Fabrication as ethical practice: Qualitative inquiry in ambiguous Internet contexts.
Information, Communication & Society ,15 (3), 334–353. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2011.641993 - Marteus, A.-C. (2022, April 5). Om kriget kommer vill Sabuni fly landet [If the war comes, Sabuni wants to fly the country].
Expressen . https://www.expressen.se/ledare/ann-charlotte-marteus/om-kriget-kommer-vill-sabuni-fly-landet/ - Medieakademin. (2021).
Maktbarometern [The power barometer ]. https://medieakademin.se/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Maktbarometern_2021-rapport.pdf - Meng, B. (2019). Mediatization and political scandal. In H. Tumber, & S. Waisbord (Eds.),
Media and scandal: The Routledge companion to media and scandal (pp. 67–75). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781351173001-2 - Mohr, I. (2014). Going viral: An analysis of YouTube videos.
Journal of Marketing Development and Competitiveness ,8 (3), 43–48. - Molyneux, L., & McGregor, S. C. (2022). Legitimating a platform: Evidence of journalists’ role in transferring authority to Twitter.
Information, Communication & Society ,25 (11), 1577–1595. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2021.1874037 - Nitsch, C., & Lichtenstein, D. (2019). Satirizing international crises: The depiction of the Ukraine, Greek debt, and migration crises in political satire.
Studies in Communication Sciences ,19 (1), 85–103. https://doi.org/10.24434/j.scoms.2019.01.007 - Nord, L., & Grusell, M. (2021). Media and politics in Sweden. In E. Skogerbø, Ø. Ihlen, N. N. Kristensen, & L. Nord (Eds.),
Power, communication, and politics in the Nordic countries (pp. 113–132). Nordicom, University of Gothenburg. https://doi.org/10.48335/9789188855299-6 - Novus. (2022).
Partiledarförtroende april 2022 [Party leadership confidence April 2022 ]. Novus Group International. https://novus.se/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/novusrapportpartiledarfortroendeapril2022.pdf - Olsson, H. (2022, April 8). Sabunis stormiga tid: Flykten till Norge blev droppen [Sabuni’s stormy time: The escape to Norway was the last straw].
Dagens Nyheter . https://www.dn.se/sverige/sabunis-stormiga-tid-flykten-till-norge-blev-droppen/ - Oscarsson, H., Bäckstedt, F., Lager, A. C., Karlsson, R., & Solevid, M. (2024).
Väljarna och valet 2022 [The voters and the election 2022 ]. University of Gothenburg. https://www.gu.se/valforskningsprogrammet/valjarna-och-valet-2022 - Oschatz, C., Stier, S., & Maier, J. (2022). Twitter in the news: An analysis of embedded tweets in political news coverage.
Digital Journalism ,10 (9), 1526–1545. https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2021.1912624 - Pollack, E., Allern, S., Kantola, A., & Ørsten, M. (2018). The new normal: Scandals as a standard feature of political life in Nordic countries.
International Journal of Communication ,12 , 3087–3108. https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/7099 - Puglisi, R., & Snyder, J. M. (2011). Newspaper coverage of political scandals.
The Journal of Politics ,73 (3), 931–950. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022381611000569 - Purna Kambhampaty, A., Carlisle, M., & Chan, M. (2019, September 18). Justin Trudeau wore brownface at 2001 ‘Arabian nights’ party while he taught at a private school.
Time Magazine . https://time.com/5680759/justin-trudeau-brownface-photo/ - Russell, F. M. (2019). Twitter and news gatekeeping.
Digital Journalism ,7 (1), 80–99. https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2017.1399805 - Schroeder, R. (2018).
Social theory after the internet: Media, technology and globalization . UCL Press. https://doi.org/10.14324/111.9781787351226 - Sennerö, J. (2021, March 8). Strid i Liberalerna om regeringsfrågan – kräver extra landsmöte [Fight in the Liberal Party over the government issue – calls for an extra national meeting].
SVT Nyheter . https://www.svt.se/nyheter/inrikes/strid-i-liberalerna-om-hur-regeringsfragan-ska-avgoras - Sköld, H. (2022, April 8). Se Youtube-klippet som fick ”bägaren att rinna över” för Nyamko Sabuni [Watch the YouTube clip that made Nyamko Sabuni’s “cup overflow”].
SVT Nyheter . https://www.svt.se/nyheter/inrikes/se-youtube-klippet-som-blev-fick-bagaren-att-rinna-over-for-nyamko-sabuni - Statistics Sweden. (2022, September 5).
Invandring till Sverige [Immigration to Sweden ]. Statistics Sweden. https://www.scb.se/hitta-statistik/sverige-i-siffror/manniskorna-i-sverige/invandring-till-sverige/ - Stoycheff, E. (2019). Selecting scandal: How legacy and social media gatekeep the news. In H. Tumber, & S. Waisbord (Eds.),
Media and scandal: The Routledge companion to media and scandal (1st ed.) (pp. 86–94). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781351173001-2 - Strömberg, M. (2022, April 8). Nyamko Sabuni avgår som partiledare för L [Nyamko Sabuni resigns as party leader for L].
Svenska Dagbladet . https://www.svd.se/a/lVjP6G/nyamko-sabuni-avgar-som-partiledare-for-liberalerna - Sumiala, J., Valaskivi, K., Tikka, M., & Huhtamäki, J. (2018). What are hybrid media events of terrorist violence? In J. Sumiala, K. Valaskivi, M. Tikka, & J. Huhtamäki,
Hybrid media events: The Charlie Hebdo attacks and the global circulation of terrorist violence (pp. 1–27). Emerald Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-78714-851-220181001 - Svensson. (2022, April 6). Sabuni om Norge-flykten: Är redo att försvara Sverige [Sabuni on the Norway escape: Ready to defend Sweden].
Aftonbladet . https://www.aftonbladet.se/a/k6jxxk - Sveriges Riksdag. (2021).
Prövning av förslag till statsminitster [Examination of proposals for prime minister ]. 2020/21:1037. https://web.archive.org/web/20210707134520/http://www.riksdagen.se/globalassets/01.-aktuellt/20210707-voteringsresultat.pdf - Teszelszky, K. (2019). Web archaeology in the Netherlands: The selection and harvest of the Dutch web incunables of provider Euronet (1994–2000).
Internet Histories ,3 (2), 180–194. https://doi.org/10.1080/24701475.2019.1603951 - The Swedish Election Authority. (2023, April 20).
2022 Swedish election results . The Swedish Election Authority. https://www.val.se/servicelankar/servicelankar/other-languages/english-engelska/election-results/election-results-2022.html - Thurfjell, K., Malmgren, F., & Karlsson, P. (2022, April 8). Källor: Kommentar om Norgeflykt avgörande [Sources: Comment on Norway flight crucial].
Svenska Dagbladet . https://www.svd.se/a/WjKz8G/kallor-talet-om-att-fly-till-norge-bakom-sabunis-avgangsbeslut - Towner, T., & Muñoz, C. L. (2020). Instagramming issues: Agenda setting during the 2016 presidential campaign.
Social Media + Society ,6 (3). https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305120940803 - Trimble, L., Raphael, D., Sampert, S., Wagner, A., & Gerrits, B. (2015). Politicizing bodies: Hegemonic masculinity, heteronormativity, and racism in news representations of Canadian political party leadership candidates.
Women’s Studies in Communication ,38 (3), 314–330. https://doi.org/10.1080/07491409.2015.1062836 - Van Leuven, S., Kruikemeier, S., Lecheler, S., & Hermans, L. (2018). Online And newsworthy.
Digital Journalism ,6 (7), 798–806. https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2018.1498747 - von Sikorski, C. (2018). The aftermath of political scandals: A meta-analysis.
International Journal of Communication ,12 , 3109–3133. https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/7100/0 - Vorberg, L., & Zeitler, A. (2019). ‘This is (not) entertainment!’: Media constructions of political scandal discourses in the 2016 US presidential election.
Media, Culture & Society ,41 (4), 417–432. https://doi.org/10.1177/0163443719833288 - Walker, A., & Boddy, R. (2024, August 8). Labour MP for Rochester & Strood apologises as tweets resurface.
BBC News . https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg5lyrg86zo - Wang, Y., & Diakopoulos, N. (2021). Journalistic source discovery: Supporting the identification of news sources in user generated content.
Proceedings of the 2021 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems , 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1145/3411764.3445266 - Warner, S. B. (2023). Analyzing attention to scandal on Twitter: Elites sell what supporters buy.
Political Research Quarterly ,76 (2), 841–850. https://doi.org/10.1177/10659129221114145 - Wheatley, D. (2020). A typology of news sourcing: Routine and non-routine channels of production.
Journalism Practice ,14 (3), 277–298. https://doi.org/10.1080/17512786.2019.1617042 - Williams, M. L., Burnap, P., & Sloan, L. (2017). Towards an ethical framework for publishing Twitter data in social research: Taking into account users’ views, online context and algorithmic estimation.
Sociology ,51 (6), 1149–1168. https://doi.org/10.1177/0038038517708140 - Zulli, D. (2021). Socio-mediated scandals: Theorizing political scandals in a digital media environment.
Communication Theory ,31 (4), 862–883. https://doi.org/10.1093/ct/qtaa014
Language: English
Page range: 194 - 216
Published on: Sep 3, 2025
Published by: University of Gothenburg Nordicom
In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services
Publication frequency: 2 times per year
Keywords:
Related subjects:
© 2025 Mathilda Åkerlund, published by University of Gothenburg Nordicom
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.