”Man ska’ jo nødigt blive en kvinde med en sag”

Rolleforhandlinger på redaktionerne i dækningen af #metoo i Danmark og Sverige

Abstract

This article examines the coverage of #metoo seen through the eyes of Swedish and Danish journalists. Through qualitative interviews with journalists from different media in both countries, the study shows how in their own coverage they experienced commuting between more or less passive and active professional roles (Bro 2008) and being subject to (often contradictory) ideals of objective news reporting. This entailed, especially in Sweden, a normative 'push' towards activism in the coverage of the #metoo movement, while Danish journalists, with reference to objectivity and press ethics, were more restrained and passive, and showed a fear of being branded as opinionated journalists or even feminist activists. The analysis illuminates how the overall debate culture and the political climate in a country are important for these normative negotiations and for whether one feels included or excluded from the professional community as a journalist. Both internally in the gendered newsroom and externally in relation to the role of the news media in the wider societal debate on gender and equality.