Blogging Minister Makes Journalists Grumpy

Carl Bildt is not only the Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs, he is also a blogger. He is the first cabinet minister to combine government work with blogging. This direct contact between an elected official and the electorate has upset two backward journalists comfortable with setting the public agenda. On 23 February, Per Svensson of Expressen wrote harshly about Bildt; today, Svenska Dagbladet’s former chief editor, Bertil Torekull, goes one step further in an article published by Dagens Nyheter—he compares the foreign minister’s blogging to the methods used by despotic dictators.

Personally, I think Blidt is doing the right thing. We need more politicians using modern technology as a tool for directly communication with voters. Grumpy old-school journalists we are better off without.