<p>The aim of this study is to analyze the discussion on the publication of twelve caricatures of the prophet Muhammad, in two Swedish newspapers – Dagens Nyheter and Sydsvenska Dagbladet. The caricatures were originally published in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten, in September 2005. Even though the violent protests and attacks against Danish interests gained major media attention in Sweden few – if any – major Swedish newspapers published the caricatures.</p><p>Using Fairclough’s Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), a theory and a method that critically examines the relationship between text, the discourse practice in which text is produced and consumed, and the wider social practice, this study examines why Swedish newspapers chose not to publish any caricatures.</p><p>The study concludes that the relationship between orders of discourse continuously affect, and is also affected by, Swedish media content. However, CDA cannot present the “truth” behind the decision not to publish the caricatures. It can only draw hypothetical conclusions, in which it is suggested that – due to the fact that the powers of media institutions continue to grow – the media is forced to take on a greater responsibility as a political actor. Thus, Swedish newspapers decided not to publish in order for Sweden not to become involved in that international conflict.</p>

Var går gränserna för vår rätt till yttrandefrihet? En tillsynes enkel fråga som dock inte erbjuder några enkla svar. Gränsdragning är ett resultat av mänskligt samspel. Olika filosofiska perspektiv och principer ger olika svar i fråga om när det är tillåtet med statlig inblandning för att begränsa rätten till yttranden. Syftet med uppsatsen är således att undersöka under vilka villkor yttrandefriheten kan begränsas. Jag belyser frågan genom att diskutera hur man kan ställa sig till Muhammedkarikatyrerna. I uppsatsen behandlas John Stuart Mills klassiska försvar av skadeprincipen, Joel Feinberg och förargelseprincipen, Stanley Fish och avvägningsmetoden, samt Rae Langton och Catharine MacKinnon som mot bakgrund av kvinnors strukturella utsatthet utifrån Ronald Dworkins princip om lika hänsyn och respekt försvarar deras rättigheter mot pornografi. Uppsatsen avslutas med en mer ingående diskussion om ”Muhammedkrisen” genom Elena Namli som även hon argumenterar för begränsningar av rätten till yttrandefrihet utifrån principen om lika hänsyn och respekt.

The aim of this study is to analyze the discussion on the publication of twelve caricatures of the prophet Muhammad, in two Swedish newspapers – Dagens Nyheter and Sydsvenska Dagbladet. The caricatures were originally published in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten, in September 2005. Even though the violent protests and attacks against Danish interests gained major media attention in Sweden few – if any – major Swedish newspapers published the caricatures. Using Fairclough’s Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), a theory and a method that critically examines the relationship between text, the discourse practice in which text is produced and consumed, and the wider social practice, this study examines why Swedish newspapers chose not to publish any caricatures. The study concludes that the relationship between orders of discourse continuously affect, and is also affected by, Swedish media content. However, CDA cannot present the “truth” behind the decision not to publish the caricatures. It can only draw hypothetical conclusions, in which it is suggested that – due to the fact that the powers of media institutions continue to grow – the media is forced to take on a greater responsibility as a political actor. Thus, Swedish newspapers decided not to publish in order for Sweden not to become involved in that international conflict.