De Dolda Makthavarna. Åsiktsmaskinernas framväxt 2015 – 2025

Abstract

This study examines the extent and contents of syndicated articles written by Liberala Nyhetsbyrån (LNB) and in-house produced editorial articles within 53 Swedish newspapers to map its potential effects on the local agenda. Through a quantitative content analysis of 888 articles gathered from the first half-years during 2015 and 2025, this study maps and compares articles written during a time of large changes to local newspapers. The agenda-setting theory as well as the democracy perspective have been utilized to analyse the centralization of editorial articles in the chosen local newspapers. The study’s results reveal a big shift in the amount of syndicated content, in-house editorials decreased by 42 percent while articles written by Liberala Nyhetsbyrån increased with 39 percent between the chosen years. During the first half of 2025 nearly half of all the editorial text in the newspapers that were studied were written by LNB, indicating that syndicated editorial articles have transitioned from being a valuable supplement to an indispensable tool for the output of articles. The results highlight that the syndicated articles mostly centre around nationwide and global issues which results in a decreased scrutiny of local power holders and a less local coverage. However, the results also show a small increase in local articles written by self-produced writers. The study can conclude that the enhanced reliability on LNB articles have shifted the editorial power to a handful of centralized writers with a big influence over the political agenda nationwide. This development, caused by less editorial resources and the merging of editorial offices, can lead to lessening trust among the readers and risk weakening local democracies.