Deliberation or Manipulation? The Issue of Governmental Information in Sweden, 1969–1973

abstract:As the first nation in the world to introduce a freedom of information policy, Sweden has attracted relatively little attention in the historiography of information. This article analyzes conflicting ideas of governmental information in public discussions in Sweden between 1969 and 1973. The purpose is to highlight alternative ideas that challenged the government's notion of governmental information. Findings show that the main conflict concerned the interpretation of the desired level of citizen participation and the degree of equality between bureaucracy and citizen, which also caused differing opinions of goals and methods related to governmental information.