Sweden Democrats have sharply criticized SVT in the Agenda program, seeking to summon the broadcaster's leadership to the culture committee over suspected bias. SVT CEO Anne Lagercrantz dismisses the criticism as problematic and emphasizes the company's impartiality. The proposal for a committee hearing was voted down by other parties.
In the popular news program Agenda, Sweden Democrats' culture spokesperson Alexander Christiansson expressed concern over a growing divide in trust for public service, particularly among right-wing voters. He described it as a long-term democratic problem and urged SVT to be humble toward the criticism instead of blaming voters' distrust of institutions.
Criticism of SVT has intensified after several incidents. A segment featuring excerpts from Donald Trump's speech on January 6, 2021, was heavily edited, omitting a call for peaceful demonstrations, reminiscent of BBC's controversial clipping. SVT replaced the video with a version clearly marking the cuts and adjusted the text following complaints. Anne Lagercrantz explained it was a trailer for a documentary, not a misleading clip, and that SVT acted swiftly.
Further criticism targeted an AI-generated video clip in Agenda presented as authentic, described as an unfortunate mistake. Lagercrantz called it embarrassing but noted the editorial team handled it transparently. Another issue involved author David Lagercrantz, husband of Lagercrantz, appearing in the program Semester med Garplind. She understands the reactions but emphasizes she does not decide on program content.
Christiansson labeled the events a systemic failure and sought to summon SVT's leadership to the culture committee to scrutinize impartiality ahead of the election campaign. Lagercrantz warned this would mean political hearings of media. The proposal was voted down in the committee on November 30, 2025, without support from other parties.
Lagercrantz stressed that trust in SVT is higher among right-wing voters than for other media, despite generally declining confidence in institutions. She claims independent reviews confirm SVT's impartiality.