Thousands of Norwegians rally against Swedish ethnologist: Norwegian press claimed he believes the success book Whole wood is "racist". But now Aftenposten admits that they had read the extreme right blog, before the Norwegian newspaper made a worse version itself.
(THIS ARTICLE IS MACHINE TRANSLATED by Google from Norwegian)
(Updated 28.03.13 with links to articles according to Aftenposten's article, Ny Tid note)
Media Ethics. “Swedish ethnologist Jonas Engman believes the Norwegian success book Whole wood threatens equality and is racist (…) Fortunately for Norwegian self-esteem, they [the Swedes] also have people like Jonas Engman in their ranks, who perform the pure nonsense when he uses the ax on Whole wood. "
This is what Vårt Land's comment editor Jon Magne Lund concluded on March 13, under the title "Absolutely crazy." Like the press across the country – from NRK to Østlendingen og Bergens Tidende – he rallied against researcher Engman at the Nordic Museum in Stockholm.
The background was a big one online article at Aftenposten.no, published at 21.27 on Monday, March 11. The title was: "Swedish academic: Norwegian by-book is racist." (NB! Aftenposten changed its title / preface on March 20, after Ny Tid contacted. Journ. Note) And the next sentence: "'A threat' to equality and integration of immigrants, the Swedish ethnologist Jonas Engman tells Swedish Expressen."
The article on the website of Norway's largest newspaper created huge debate: Over 240 posts were written on Aftenposten's website, over 1500 liked and recommended the article on Facebook only via eveningposten.no. And it spread to everyone
media channels, including radio debates at NRK. There is only one problem: rendering is incorrect. Engman has never said anything about Lars Mytting's book being "racist" or "a threat".
Facsimile: Expressen March 5.
Expressen's article on March 5, written by the great Arne Lapidus, was very positive Whole wood. Everything about chopping, stacking and drying – and the soul of wood burning (Kagge), a book that has already sold 65.000 copies in Sweden. The title of the Express was "The wood keeps the fire and the people alive".
Gjenga Swedish blog
Engman assured Expressen that he had not read the book, and the interview was therefore repeated in general. In the article on 5 March, he says, among other things, that the wood interest "is about a kind of nostalgia for the peasant society and the Swedish folk home". But Engman said nothing about the book being "racist" or a "threat." And the researcher never said that neither the book, nor Norwegian Mytting «prevents equality».
– No, I never meant that the book is racist. I would never say that, nor did it ever say in Expressen's article that I think the book was racist. This is a classic newspaper duck – newspaper sand, says Engman on the phone to Ny Tid.
But where did Aftenposten get its claims about "racism" and "threat" ("hot") from? It turns out that Aftenposten's article was published six days after Expressen, but only 20 hours after the Swedish blog friatider.se on the night of Monday 11 March (at 01.48) published a short, unsigned text under the title "Expressen: Book on logging racist." The very right-wing and anti-immigrant Fria Tider was established in 2009 as a so-called online newspaper. It refers to itself as "Paleokonservativ», but is among other things referred to by Stiftelsen Expo, Swedish anti-racist forum, as "Right-wing".
Fria Tider claims in its Expressen version that Engman "considers the book to be a threat to gender equality and the integration of immigrants". But neither does this site claim that Engman himself actually says anything about "hot" or "racist." The blogger formally quotes Engman as it was in Expressen, in contrast to Aftenposten – where Fria Tider's claims and worldview are reproduced as being Engman's words. Free Times also has one ongoing conflict with Expressen. But the blog Fria Tider is not mentioned in one word in the article in Aftenposten – only Expressen.
Surprised researcher
Researcher Jonas Engman is very surprised when Ny Tid tells him that the extensive media coverage in Norway seems to have come after a misrepresentation of the website friatider.no.
- I have never read Fria Tider and have no knowledge of that website. But it is interesting that it may look as if Aftenposten got it from there. Then things get a little worse. This is a very good example of what happens if one does not
is source critical enough for what one reads on blogs and wikipedia. The media, together with academia, has a responsibility to find the right information on the internet, says Engman.
NRK Radio's program "Kulturnytt" invited him to a debate about the book.
FREE TIMES: The Swedish blog Fria Tider kl. 01.48 on 11 March.
- I asked for an interview without knowing what this was about. I am used to the media, but I understood during the interview that the journalist wanted me in a role, to defend me. But I had never said that the book was racist. I can even imagine buying the book, so it became a completely absurd situation. I subsequently declined many inquiries to take part in debates in Norway, says Engman.
- Did you feel that people in Norway wanted to misunderstand your comments in Expressen?
- Absolutely, they wanted me in a role. No one would listen to what I actually said. I also understood that this was not about me, it was about something completely different. Wood sounds boring, but there is something very tender and sensitive here, says Engman, who also received a number of unpleasant emails from Norwegians after the media reports.
- The cases with the misquotations of you are still out on Aftenposten and other Norwegian online newspapers. What do you think about it?
- It simply seems like sloppiness and poor journalistic craftsmanship. Personally, I do not care, but I am interested in how the media behaves in different contexts, says Engman.
In Expressen's article, it is ironically Lars Mytting himself who states that Whole wood has a «masculine feel» and that the book «reinforces an old gender role pattern», something that no one in the Norwegian debate has criticized or commented on so far. Expressen writes:
«The book has a masculine character, you could say that it consolidates an old gender role pattern. But it emphasizes a soft masculinity, that you do something for the family, says Lars Mytting. "
Still, it was Engman who was hanged. He concludes:
- I do not need an apology, but it should lead to a kind of reaction and correction, Engman says.
Quotes Aftenposten
The blog Fria Tider, for its part, received Aftenposten's coverage and the many Norwegian reactions. In a new, unsigned article on March 12 – the day after the debate started in Norway – the Swedish website writes under the title "Difficult to take criticism seriously":
"The Norwegian author Lars Mytting is now responding to the criticism from the Swedish gender scientist that his book on logging would incite" murky political currents ", reports Aftenposten. "
The reactions from key Norwegian politicians and editors are also referenced in the aftermath of Fria Tider's post, which is also now read by thousands:
«The liberal criticism of Mytting's book has led to outraged reactions among Norwegians.
"Lars Mytting's book about firewood is racist, says the crazy Swedish," writes E24.no's editor-in-chief Per Valebrokk on Twitter.
"It's good that the Swedish gender researcher takes the magazine from his mouth and says what everyone really thinks: that wood burning is racism," says Erik Flöan, who sits on the Young Conservatives' board. "
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Admits extreme source
Cultural editor Knut Olav Åmås admits that Aftenposten took allegations from a Swedish blog, without disclosing it. Aftenposten changes its title and preamble, but not in the main text.
TORBJØR TUMYR NILSEN
Interview. - What has happened in the case of the alleged racism allegations against the Hel ved book, Knut Olav Åmås? How could this case be published?
- The case was published online because it is an interesting discussion about Nordic culture, gender equality and integration, among other things based on this year's 2012 Norwegian bestseller. But the title and the preface are stretched too far. Engman has not called the book Whole wood too "racist", Åmås answers.
- Do you agree with Engman that this is a newspaper duck / newspaper duck?
- We have not been accountable enough.
- A few hours before Aftenposten's article on March 11, the blog Fria Tider wrote that it should have been stated in Expressen that Hel Ved was racist. Is this the blog you really should be referring to, is this the source?
facsimile: Aftenposten.no after Ny Tid informed Norway's largest newspaper about their factual basis. Title / preamble was changed at 13.07 March 20.
- It is the newspaper's source in addition to the Expressen case. We should refer to this blog to substantiate who interpreted the case as accusing of "racism".
- Have you been source-critical enough in this case?
- No, we have used a source in an unfortunate way.
- Several Norwegian media have taken Aftenposten's article seriously. Do you want to correct like this The Times recently did in the Qatar Football League case – a mistake that Aftenposten itself harassed on 18 March?
- When this is read in Ny Tid, the case is directed online, where we published it, and then we have explained the error in a visible place in the case. I also wrote to Engman on Wednesday and informed him, Åmås concludes.
* Definition of «newspaper sand» in Store Norske leksikon: «fictional story, deliberate lie in a newspaper report. Possible origin of the German blaue Ente, `fictional tale`. French: canard, canards des journaux; English: hoax. »
*****
Update 1:
A couple of hours after Ny Tid received a response from Åmås and Aftenposten, the following two sentences were added posted in their online case on March 20 at 13.07:
«NB: In the original version of this case, the title and preamble were misleading. Ethnologist Jonas Engman has not called the book "Whole Wood" "racist."
The title of Aftenposten.no was then changed to: "Swedish academic: Logging prevents gender equality."
The preamble to the article at Aftenposten.no was 20.03. changed from «The Norwegian success book« Hel ved »threatens gender equality and is racist…» to:
"Focus on firewood and logging, which through the Norwegian book" Whole firewood ", has a destructive effect on gender equality and can have an exclusionary effect on immigrants, says a Swedish university lecturer."
Ny Tid has not received an answer as to whether Aftenposten believes there is coverage for this new reproduction of Engman's statements to Expressen. Fria Tider's claim that the book is perceived as a "threat" is still uncorrected in the body text of Aftenposten on March 22, with incorrect reference to Expressen:
"'A threat' to equality and integration of immigrants, says the Swedish ethnologist Jonas Engman to Swedish Expressen."
The Norwegian cultural researcher Olav Christensen's attack on "confused" Engman, based on incorrect reproduction, is still unchanged on the website of Norway's largest newspaper, as here: "- This man sees ghosts in broad daylight. The claims lack any evidence in empirical evidence. ")
Update 2:
Sunday, March 24 at At 10.57, the following text was posted on Aftenposten's online article http://www.aftenposten.no/kultur/Svensk-akademiker-Norsk-ved-bok-er-rasistisk-7144345.html#.UU93vxwud5H:
«NB: In the original version of this case, the title and preamble were misleading. Ethnologist Jonas Engman has not called the book "Whole Wood" "racist". This was corrected on 20.3.
The article was subsequently also edited 24.3 because several sources down in the article commented on matters concerning the accusation of racism, without there being any evidence for this. Aftenposten apologizes for the use of sources and errors. "
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Additional:
Aftenposten has gradually removed its original notice, which shows that 1565 people "recommend this" as late as March 20. After the corrections, there are 4 (four) who like the article. Here is Ny Tid's screenshot of the cultural article from the morning 20.03.13 (NB! The journalist's name is here removed by Ny Tid):
Here is the best liked comment thread on the Aftenposten article as of 26.03.2013:
NB! Names are anonymous.
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xxxxIs not so strange then… Think there was a place in the book that dark wood burns worse than light wood 😉256 likes
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(This is an excerpt from Ny Tid's weekly magazine 22.03.2013. Read the whole thing by buying Ny Tid in newspaper retailers all over the country, or by subscribing to Ny Tid -click here. Subscribers receive previous editions free of charge as PDF.)
