Published 22 November 2024 at 11.33
Media. Aftonbladet's Robert Aschberg, 72, has been awarded Lukas Bonnier's Great Journalist Award for his long career and fight against “dark forces”. At the same time, “Kalla fakta's” program about the Sweden Democrats' alleged troll factory won the award for “Disclosure of the Year”. is awarded to a journalist who “for a long time has shown proof of skill and outstanding journalistic work”.
In the justification, Bonnier highlights Aschberg's fight against “dark forces that try tear down the open society”:
“As a TV pioneer he stood for the innovative and limitless, as a digger he stood for courage and perseverance and – not least – as a publicist he stood at the forefront of the battle against the dark forces that are trying to tear down the open society.”
– I am very happy, but I am not the type to jump on the roof, Aschberg told Aftonbladet in connection with receiving the award during Thursday's gala.
Emil Hellerud and Daniel Andersson from TV4's “Cold Facts” won in the category “Disclosure of the Year” for their report “Undercover in the Trollfabriken” about the Sweden Democrats.
“With help of a hidden camera and a large portion of courage, Cold facts reveal what has been denied by the Sweden Democrats for years – a troll factory, and the close ties with the media channel Riks”, reads the justification.
Robert Aschberg has a many years of background in television and newspaper journalism and a left-wing political background. He began his career at Expressen in 1980 and is known for his television productions with elements of humiliation.
He also runs the private intelligence service Acta Publica together with the convicted violent left-wing extremist Mattias Fredriksson.
Since 2019 Aschberg is also chairman of the Publicists Club. He has previously won the Stora journalist prize in 1991 together with Stina Dabrowski.