The new face of Bakom Rubrikerna

Photo: Elin Eriksson

The center, which modestly calls itself "probably the best media center in the world," is located in Marieberg, in the heart of Stockholm's publishing district. At its founding in the fall of 1999, Bakom Rubrikerna had the stated goal of building closer contacts with future newspaper readers. Ten years later, despite a total renovation in form and content, the ambition remains the same.

"The biggest change is that we've highlighted the new media channels developed by DN and Expressen," explains Erik Sjögren, Bakom Rubrikerna's managing director. "Visitors have a chance to edit news articles and create their own news analysis web pages. As of November they'll also be able to produce their own web TV reports."

In a newly produced informational film, the visitors follow DN and Expressen journalists as they cover the Swedish football league, elections in South Africa and the national finals of the Eurovision Song Contest.

"The idea of the film is to show how our journalists work in the field," says Erik. "After the screening we have discussions about journalism and media that can be quite intense. Some of the questions that constantly arise are: 'Can we believe what we read in newspapers?', 'Is it easy to develop friendships with interviewees?' and 'How do you decide what will be in the newspaper and on the web?' We talk about prejudices against DN and Expressen, and about the ethical standards that apply to all our morning and evening newspapers."

After the discussion, the group has a chance to produce and print its own headline placard.

Bakom Rubrikerna hosts some 12,000 visitors every year, the majority of which are middle and high school students. This year company visits have been added to the list of activities.

"Our 100-seat auditorium is a perfect setting for conferences and seminars," Erik says encouragingly.

Today Bakom Rubrikerna is the only media center of its kind in Stockholm. And, of course, the positive responses from visitors serve as a source of inspiration for Erik and his colleagues.

"Most of them have a great time, and the interest is enormous," he says. "By the time they leave Marieberg it's obvious that they've gained a fresh enthusiasm for newspapers. It's an eye-opening experience. It's also a visit that is prioritized by many teachers, since the subject media is in the programs for both middle and high schools."