Published 15 November 2021 at 16.26
Media. The Review Board for Radio and Television acquits SVT's acclaimed documentary series “Persona non grata”, which was about the sex crime accused comedian and PK profile Soran Ismail. The programs do not conflict with the requirements of impartiality and objectivity, according to the board.
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“Persona non grata” was broadcast in two episodes the same evening in April 2021. The programs were about the comedian Soran Ismail, who has been accused of, among other things, rape and sexual abuse, and that the preliminary investigations were closed.
The programs consisted largely of interviews with the PK profile himself, who got to tell about his experience of it all.
The complainants believe that the programs were one-sided and that Soran Ismail was given a lot of space to assert his innocence and cleanse himself. They also believe that the programs were angled and question what the purpose of the programs was.
SVT, for its part, believes that the programs comply with the requirements of impartiality and objectivity. The state television giant states, among other things, that the purpose of the programs was to portray a situation where a person within the meaning of the law is to be regarded as innocent but still feels convicted in the eyes of the public. The idea was therefore to illuminate the events from a clear personal perspective. According to SVT, the programs also helped to stimulate debate and broaden and problematize the discussion about how sexual crimes are handled in our legal system. SVT's starting point was not to examine the case or take a position on the debt issue, it is claimed.
The substance of the programs was, according to the review board, “of such a sensitive nature that requires the broadcaster to exercise caution so that they do not risk appearing biased in favor of either side”. In the trial, however, the board states that the documentary did not claim to sort out the facts or the truth of the accusations against Soran Ismail. Instead, the starting point for the programs was to describe the PK profile's “experience of being accused of rape and sexual harassment without the charges having been tried by a court”. According to the board, this starting point was clearly stated in the introduction to each program.
“In addition, it was clear that A [ie Soran] was accused of several crimes and that a participating journalist gave his view on “The credibility of two of the women who reported A to the police and criticized both A's approach and the judiciary's generally inadequate handling of sexual crimes. However, three members disagreed and considered that the programs should be approved with regard to the requirement of impartiality.
The Review Board's decision will not be published on the Authority's website, with reference to the GDPR.