A Slice of Life (continued)

223 News Sources

         • Freedom of Information: In dictatorships, offical papers are secret. Even in democracies, many official papers are secret. But not in Sweden. Examples & exceptions:
​              · Journalists (and the public) may read all decisions and reports from local authorities (local government) and from the Swedish state.
​              · You can even go to the Prime Minister's office and read his post (mail)! That kind of openness is unimaginable in most countries.
              · There are exceptions for police and military operations, and for medical journals.
              · The school nurse's journal is secret. Also the school welfare officer's (guidance counselor's). Even the headmaster (principal) is not allowed to read them.
              ·  The inspection report about our school is a public document (written by Skolinspektionen, the Swedish School Inspectorate, after visiting 23-24 oktober 2013). That means that journalists (and everyone else) have the right to read it. (Perhaps a journalist from the free Stockholm newspaper Mitt i will read it and write an article about our school.)
         • Anonymity and the protection of sources: Anyone can tell a journalist about wrong doing (perhaps in the hope that the journalist will tell his audience). It is illegal for the police and other governmental agencies to even try to figure out where the journalist got the information!
         • In summary, news comes from: news agencies, other media, the public, and press releases, as well as what journalists can find out on their own.