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Abstract
In this article, we explore the history of Swedish newspaper carriers through the lens of the union struggles within the Swedish Transport Workers’ Union. This focus allows us to make visible the influence of a profession that has largely been overlooked in media history. Mobilizing around working conditions, the workers put pressure on the newspapers in terms of the size and weight of the papers with consequences for the editorial work. There was also a strong stance against commercial advertising and additional supplements that had consequences for the financial situation of newspapers. Hence, through their union struggles newspaper carriers directly influenced the outlook of newspapers in Sweden in the post-war era. In extension, we consider newspaper carriers as soft media infrastructures that had a crucial role and influence on the formation of the Swedish public.
Disclosure Statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Notes
1 Downey, Telegraph Messenger Boys.
2 Engblom, “Newspaper Carriers”.
3 Picard, “Newspaper Industry,”, 109–125.
4 Gaunt, “Distributing the News”.
5 Ibid.
6 Thorn and Pfeil, Newspaper Circulation.
7 DiGirolamo, Crying the News.
8 Postol, “America’s Press-Radio Rivalry”.
9 Engwall, Newspapers as Organizations.
10 Cawley, “Digital Transitions”.
11 Castulus, “Strategic Challenges”.
12 Hesmondhalgh, The Cultural Industries.
13 Deuze, Media Work.
14 Ibid.
15 Mayer, Below the Line.
16 Kellokumpu, “Newspaper Carriers”
17 Jeppsson, The medal.
18 Parks and Starosielski, Signal Traffic.
19 Downey, Telegraph Messenger Boys.
20 The first Swedish daily that went online (Aftonbladet) started its digital version in the autumn of 1994.
21 Jarlbrink, Information and Waste.
22 Newspaper carriers at the beginning of the century. Interviews published by the Transport Workers’ Union, p. 19.
23 Tidningsbudsavtalet 1983. [Collective Agreement between the newspaper carriers union and the employers] Svenska transportarbetareförbudet 1982. Arbetarrörelsens Arkiv och Bibliotek, volym 1823/F/1/108/11. [NOTE: Please provide English translations for titles of works and books, and keep as close to the format used elsewhere as possible; I don’t speak Swedish, so I can’t tell which part is which, unfortunately.]
24 Tecknande av nytt riksavtal med Tidningarnas Arbetsgivarförening (TA) – tidningsdistributörsfacket – för tiden 1 mars 1988 och 28 februari 1989. Svenska transportarbetareförbudet 1982. [New national agreement between The Newspapers Employers (TA) – the newspaper carriers union – for the time between March 1st 1988 and February 28 1989]. Arbetarrörelsens Arkiv och Bibliotek, volym 1823/F/1/108/11
25 Farsta Tidnings Fackklubb 10 år [Farsta Newspaper Carriers’ Union Club 10 years] Transportarbetareförbundet, Stockholm, 1995, p. 75.
26 Tidningsdistributörsavtalet – tillsättande av arbetsgrupp. [Newspaper Carrier Agreement – appointment of working group]. Svenska transportarbetareförbudet 1982. Arbetarrörelsens Arkiv och Bibliotek, volym 1823/F/1/108/11.
27 Tidningsbudsavtalet 1983 [Collective Agreement for Newspaper Carriers 1983]. Svenska transportarbetareförbudet 1982. Arbetarrörelsens Arkiv och Bibliotek, volym 1823/F/1/108/11.
28 Ibid.
29 Brev från förbundssekreterare Sture Skoglund till Svenska Transportarbetaförbundets avdelning 7, Stockholm, 1982-08-10 [Letter from union secretary Sture Skoglund to the Swedish Transport Worker’s Union Section 7, Stockholm August 10, 1982]. Svenska transportarbetareförbudet 1982. Arbetarrörelsens Arkiv och Bibliotek, volym 1823/F/1/108/11.
30 Ibid.
31 Brev från Borås Transportarbetarefackförening, 1961-12-04. [Letter from the Transport Worker’s Union in Borås, December 4, 1961]. Svenska transportarbetareförbudet 1961–1964. Arbetarrörelsens Arkiv och Bibliotek, volym 1823 F/1/107/1 F01/108.12.
32 Överläggning med Sydsvenskan [Negotiation with the newspaper Sydsvenskan]. Svenska transportarbetareförbudet 1982. Arbetarrörelsens Arkiv och Bibliotek, volym 1823/F/1/108/11.
33 Brev från Stockholms transportarbetareförening till förbudet, 1984-11-15 [Letter from the Stockholm Transport Workers to the Union, November 15, 1984]. Svenska transportarbetareförbudet. Arbetarrörelsens Arkiv och Bibliotek, volym F01/108.12.
34 Farsta Tidnings Fackklubb 10 år [Farsta Newspaper Carriers’ Union Club 10 years]. Transportarbetareförbundet, Stockholm, 1995, p. 3.
35 Brev till förbundet 1987-11-16. [Letter to the union November 16, 1987]. Svenska transportarbetareförbudet 1987. Arbetarrörelsens Arkiv och Bibliotek, volym 1823/F/1/108/15.
36 Jonsson, “Tidningsbud hotas av uppsägning” [Newspaper carriers threatened by termination]. Guillou, “Tidningsbud gör det på natten” [Newspaper carriers are doing it during the night].
37 Farsta Tidnings Fackklubb 10 år [Farsta Newspaper Carriers’ Union Club 10 years]. Transportarbetareförbundet, Stockholm, 1995, p. 8.
38 Ibid.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Fredrik Stiernstedt
Fredrik Stiernstedt (author to whom correspondence should be addressed), Department for Culture & Communication, Södertörn University, S-14189, Huddinge, Sweden;
Anne Kaun
Anne Kaun, Department for Culture & Communication, Södertörn University, Huddinge, Sweden