Sweden TV Watchdog Censures Oprah for Pro-War Bias

Reuters ^ | September 17, 2003

[Shermy]

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Sweden's broadcasting watchdog said Wednesday it was censuring an Oprah Winfrey talk show for showing bias toward a U.S. military attack on Iraq.

The censure means Swedish television network TV4, which broadcast the show in February, must publish the decision but there are no legal or financial penalties, Annelie Ulfhielm, an official of Sweden's Broadcasting Commission, told Reuters.

"Different views were expressed, but all longer remarks gave voice to the opinion that Saddam Hussein was a threat to the United States and should be the target of attack," Sweden's Broadcasting Commission said.

U.S. forces attacked Iraq in March and toppled Saddam's government after a three-week war. Before the war, Washington said Iraq's arsenal of weapons of mass destruction posed a threat but no such arms have yet been found.

The Swedish government strongly opposed the U.S. invasion of Iraq, saying it lacked a U.N. Security Council mandate.

A TV4 spokesman said the Oprah Winfrey show usually drew an audience of about 100,000-140,000 Swedes, making it one of Sweden's more popular day-time television programs.

[Shermy]

Ping.

[Gopher Broke]

But the blatant sex or support for the liberal agenda don't seem to be a problem??

[Kenton]

[shrugs] So you guys just provided Oprah with a lot of good publicity in her main market, the USA.

[ConservativeMan55]

When did Oprah support the war?

[SolutionsOnly]

Orwellian stuff...

[Az Joe]

I guess Sven and Gucha are gonna go the route of their parents and be "neutral" again.

[Az Joe]

I guess Sven and Gucha are gonna go the route of their parents and be "neutral" again.

[Moose4]

This is what the liberals want to happen here with reinstating the "Fairness Doctrine."

}:-)4

[tophat9000]

The Swedish government strongly opposed the U.S. invasion of Iraq, saying it lacked a U.N. Security Council mandate.

Hey we don't need a U.N. Security Council mandate

Mandates are so gay

[Az Joe]

I guess Sven and Gucha are gonna go the route of their parents and be "neutral" again.

[tophat9000]

The Swedish government strongly opposed the U.S. invasion of Iraq, saying it lacked a U.N. Security Council mandate.

Hey we don't need a U.N. Security Council mandate

Mandates are so gay

[RightOnTheLeftCoast]

Bought a car recently. Considered a Volvo. I'm increasingly glad I didn't choose it.

[katya8]

The Swedes are crazy - Oprah is against the war and hates our military.

[KellyAdmirer]

Pretty funny that we never hear them censoring any of the many programs with strong liberal biases, but let Oprah stray off the reservation for an hour and - whammo - the Swedes attack!

[Charles Henrickson]

it was censuring an Oprah Winfrey talk show for showing bias

I would censure Oprah for showing bs.

[Ringman]

The program wasn't "censured".

This bothered me a bit so I checked out the swedish "granskningsnämnden" http://www.grn.se/grn_index.asp

The issue wasn't the subject of the program, but rather that tv4 ommitted to note that it was a "partial" program.

There is no such thing as content censuring on swedish TV.

[Ex-Dem]

This is coming from a country where a prominent politician just got stabbed to death because she didn't have bodyguards and the department store security guards were woefully incompetent.

So, Sweden, how's that peacenik stance working for you?

[BenLurkin]

Typical example of where leftist policies will take us. If Americans don't stand up and speak out now we may be forever silenced . . .

[SolutionsOnly]

That's exactly what the left counts on... people failing to stand up! Complacency kills!