Donald Trump or Kamala Harris? The US presidential elections are drawing massive interest in Scandinavia. Here is how some of Schibsted Media’s news brands plan to cover the elections.
Rarely does a news event catch so much global attention as this year’s presidential elections in the USA. The real-life drama feels like a scripted series, with ingredients like assassination attempts, a candidate who withdraws from the race and another who suddenly rides on a wave of fresh popularity.
Also Scandinavians are as engaged as anyone, and this fall, the news rooms of Schibsted Media this fall mobilise all their editorial muscles to provide their Norwegian and Swedish users the best possible coverage.
“Our ambition is to deliver the best coverage for Norwegian readers. We want to provide them with stories that explain and help them understand what is happening,” says John Hultgreen, head of foreign news in the Norwegian media brand Aftenposten.
The Swedish Aftonbladet has similar ambitions. “We shall have the best coverage of the US elections in Sweden,” says project manager Angelica Öhagen.
Editorial planning is dynamic – and depending on how the news develops. Also, some of the efforts are not yet ready for launch.
However, here is an overview of what some of our news media are planning for the next weeks:
Aftonbladet will repeat AI success
Nora Savosnick and Emelie Svensson are already in place in the USA to cover the elections for Aftonbladet.
Sweden’s leading news site Aftonbladet is significantly expanding its presence in the US ahead of the November 5 elections.
Emelie Svensson has been the US correspondent since 2020 and will play a crucial role in the coverage. She works together with photojournalist Nora Savosnick.
However, in the last period before the elections, she will be joined by journalists Wolfgang Hansson and Peter Kadhammar, photographers Jerker Ivarsson and Peter Wixtröm as well as producer Erik Björklund.
Aftonbladet also has a big team of journalists and editors who will work more or less full-time on covering the elections:
In the Stockholm office Astrid Billengren is head of news and Angelica Öhagen project manager. Night reporters Hans Österman and Johan Edgar will also play crucial roles as will TV host Olivia J Berntsson and podcast host Jenny Ågren.
“In practical life more or less everyone in the news staff will in one or another way be involved in covering the elections, as much is breaking news,” says project manager Angelica Öhagen.
Aftonbladet launches at least four special editorial concepts or tools in connection with the US elections:
- The USA School. Olivia J. Berntsson hosts this TV show in which the US elections are explained in a quick and informative format.
- The USA Journey. The journalist trio Emelie Svensson, Erik Björklund and Nora Savosnick invites the public on an interactive journey through the USA in the run-up to the elections. Aftonbladet’s users will be invited to vote on which stories they like to see and can later follow the journey on the news site and in social media.
- AI Chatbot. The Election Compass was a great success during the EU elections earlier this year. Now a new version of the AI chatbot will be trained to answer all kinds of questions about the US Elections.
- The USA Twodd. Experts will be invited weekly to discuss and analyse in depth the most important news from the USA.
Svenska Dagbladet plans exciting new formats and features
Therese Larsson Hultín, political analyst with SvD.
“Svenska Dagbladet’s ambition is to stay ahead of the curve, with stories and content that clearly point forward: toward Election Day and the weeks just after,” says Managing Editor Erik Hedtjärn.
He explains that this includes new formats that gather different perspectives and help the readers understand the possible future scenarios that lay ahead for the US and the rest of the world.
Says Hedtjärn: “Strong visuals by SvD:s editorial graphic editors (Liv Widell, Alexander Rauscher and others) will also enable readers to take in complex information, and get an overview of the candidates, the election issues and the possible outcomes.”
On the ground, experienced foreign news editor Erik Bergin will be covering the elections from the US; and political analyst Therese Larsson-Hultín will spend a significant amount of time travelling the country, not the least the swing states, as will award-winning SvD photographer Linus Sundahl-Djerf.
Other journalists and editors will also play crucial roles in providing SvD readers with a wide variety of perspectives on the most important issues at stake. Göran Eriksson will focus on how Swedish politics and society might be affected by the US elections, while Johan Anderberg will write features and commentary for the Culture Section, exploring topics such as polarisation and culture wars. Björn Jeffery, tech columnist and Lena Andersson, writer and opinion columnist, are well-known SvD writers, who will also be covering different aspects of the election.
In addition, Svenska Dagbladet will launch exciting new formats and features, such as “What the polls say” (Opinionskollen), which keeps readers updated on the latest polls and what the numbers might mean for the election outcome. Other new formats will allow readers to build on and challenge their own knowledge and perceptions – such as election quizzes and mini courses about the US, and the main candidates.
Omni: Wants to be the ultimate destination for US enthusiasts
Omni’s Editor-in-Chief Markus Gustafsson
As the U.S. elections approach, Omni is rolling out its most ambitious coverage to date.
“Omni is the go-to platform for anyone in Sweden interested in the U.S. Our coverage is built on two equally important pillars: breaking news and in-depth analysis from Omni Mer. Our sharp, fast-paced news team delivers timely updates and covers the hottest topics everyone wants to know about. But we’re also strong when it comes to offering our readers insightful, well-researched pieces. Every day, our audience gets high-quality content from Omni Mer editors, alongside a carefully curated selection of articles from prestigious international partners like The New York Times and The Washington Post,” says Managing Editor Calle Sandstedt.
In a blog post, Omni’s CEO and Editor-in-Chief Markus Gustafsson emphasizes the significance of the upcoming election. “Calling this presidential election the most important one of our time on a global scale is no exaggeration,” he writes.
A dedicated team at Omni will be working full-time on U.S. election coverage. This cross-departmental effort includes editorial teams, marketing, customer experience, graphics, and sales – all working together to create the best possible experience for users. Special U.S. election editors will focus on breaking news. And users are already embracing the results.
“This is exactly what we’re here to do. It’s like Christmas for both our editors and our readers,” says Calle.
“We’re building on the winning formula we used during the EU elections, where we combined a variety of formats and strategies to explain complex developments. But this time, we’re taking it even further.”
Key initiatives include:
- Comprehensive coverage of the major issues shaping the election.
- Bringing readers behind the scenes to explore the forces driving U.S. politics, from the gun lobby and civil rights movement to super PACs.
- A weekly expert panel to help users navigate the twists and turns of the campaign.
- Profiles of key political figures and insights into the history of swing states.
- A collaboration with polling agency Demoskop to gauge Swedish public opinion on the two main candidates vying for power.
- And many more to come
Aftenposten: Live event and USA podcast
Aftenposten’s USA correspondent Kjetil Hanssen outside the White House on the day Joe Biden withdrew from the presidential campaign.
Aftenposten is focused on explaining the biggest news for its users, including the US elections. Their ambition is to provide the readers with the context they will not find in other Norwegian news sources in addition to being a leading source of breaking news as it happens.
Kjetil Hanssen is Aftenposten’s correspondent in the USA – and will travel extensively around the country in the run-up to the elections from his base in Washington DC.
But several of Aftenposten’s most experienced foreign news journalists will also spend most of their time covering the elections. These include former US correspondents Kristoffer Rønneberg and Christina Pletten, as well as Tor Arne Andreassen and Gunnar Kagge.
Photographers Stein J. Bjørge and Tomm W. Christiansen will also travel to the USA in the weeks before the elections.
Aftenposten has a special podcast dedicated to the USA – called Aftenpodden USA. New episodes are published every Wednesday. The podcast is hosted by Kristoffer Rønneberg with Kjetil Hanssen and commentator Christina Pletten as regular guests. Also other experts will be invited to share their knowledge about US politics.
On Monday, October 7 Aftenpodden USA invites to live show at the Latter stage in Oslo.
VG aims for accessible news for all
US correspondent Nilas Johnsen and photographer Thomas Nilsson are two of many journalists covering the US elections for VG.
“VG’s ambition is to be the primary news destination of Norway, also during the US elections. In other words, everyone should be able to get an overview and the latest news. This requires us to make the information accessible and easy to follow for all our users — regardless of who they are or how much they have previously engaged with American politics. This is not just a journalistic challenge, which demands that we carefully consider how we communicate and present the content. It also requires us to choose the right format and to adapt to the changing media habits of our users,” says Eva-Therese Loo Grøttum, editorial leader for news in VG.
VG has two correspondents in the USA: Ingeborg Huse Amundsen and Nilas Johnsen. Together with photographer Thomas Nilsson they form the core team in the elections coverage. They will be joined by more staff from Oslo in November.
Ingeborg and Nilas are married and share the positions as US correspondent. You can read more about them in this article: “We expect conflict and chaos”.
A large number of the newsroom staff is involved in covering the elections, as in all major news events. VG prides itself on bringing together different competencies in order to offer a world-class coverage. This includes software developers, data scientists, social media reporters, TV producers, podcasters, opinion writers, other foreign news reporters as well as the journalists in the breaking news desk.
As with other important elections, VG plans election studios and other types of TV coverage, including live broadcasts. Also, in the run-up to the elections VG’s daily podcast “Giæver og gjengen” will every Monday focus exclusively on the presidential elections.
