How a Stockholm daily newspaper became a pillar of Swedish political and sporting life

Entertainment · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Founded in 1884, Svenska Dagbladet has evolved from a right-wing publication into a national institution with an independently moderate voice. Beyond its political influence and rivalry with Dagens Nyheter, the paper has shaped Swedish culture for nearly a century through its prestigious annual award for the nation's top athletes.

Svenska Dagbladet, often abbreviated as SvD, launched its first issue on 18 December 1884 in Stockholm. Throughout the early 20th century, it established itself as a prominent right-wing voice. A significant shift in its corporate structure occurred in 1940, when the Trygger family sold the newspaper to the Enterprise Fund, an entity created by fourteen Swedish businessmen specifically to secure the paper's future ownership. Today, the publication is owned by Schibsted, which acquired it in the late 1990s.

The editorial stance of the paper is officially described as independently moderate, aligning with the liberal conservatism of the Moderate Party, though it is frequently characterized as conservative. Its influence has historically been potent; in December 1984, the paper famously called for the resignation of Prime Minister Olof Palme following an interview he gave to another publication. As the primary rival to Dagens Nyheter, SvD remains one of the few Swedish morning papers that attempts to provide comprehensive national and international news coverage alongside its local focus on the Greater Stockholm region.

The paper has also left a lasting mark on Swedish culture through the Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal, an annual award for individual athletes or teams that has been presented every year since 1925. In recent decades, the publication has undergone significant operational changes, including a transition from a broadsheet to a tabloid format in November 2000. Under the leadership of figures like Gunilla Asker, who became CEO in 2009, and Anna Careborg, who assumed the roles of CEO and Editor-in-chief in 2019, the paper continues to navigate the shifting landscape of modern media, balancing its traditional print roots with digital expansion, such as its 2005 joint venture with Aftonbladet to launch a business news portal.

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