Förfäras ej.pdf - Myndigheten för samhällsskydd och beredskap

276 FÖRFÄRAS EJ
The nuclear disaster at Chernobyl led to radioactive fallout also in Sweden. Various authorities
issued public warnings, which ranged from the obvious to the bizarre. The National Board started
a large research project covering most aspects of how this government information was perceived
by the citizens. Other major research projects dealt with the reporting of the Gulf War,
the sinking of the ferryboat ”Estonia”, the campaigns before the referendum on joining the
European Union and the poisoning of ground water by tunnel-builders in western Sweden.
Separate research projects ranged from the death of princess Diana to a fire, which killed many
young immigrants at a party in Gothenburg. The research focused on the ”triangle drama”
developing between the authorities, the media and the public after such events. The research
projects brought wide recognition to the National Board both in Sweden and abroad.
The results of the research led to a successful educational effort at the municipal level.
Instead of engaging municipalities in futile war games the National Board offered one-day
courses in emergency information. Through lectures and games local politicians and functionaries
learned how to deal with the media after, for instance, a disaster involving hazardous materials.
Eventually the games developed into seminaries around everyday problems concerning
public trust in local government.
The Total Defence Information Committee had been created in 1962 to coordinate the
information of the military and civil parts of the Swedish total defence. When it was amalgamated
into the National Board in 1985, the Committee had made several educational films
and was distributing booklets to schools and to all boys and girls one year before the mandatory
age for conscription. The making of educational films continued into the 1990s. When film
distribution became too expensive the National Board and its military and civil partners started
a successful Internet project, which offers interactive websites and games mainly to young people.
It is closely tied to a continuing project offering information about conscription and the
national service.
The ministry of communications initially handled the information after the sinking of the
ferryboat ”Estonia”. The families of the victims soon became frustrated with what they perceived
as lack of information or false promises. The government then asked the National Board to
act as an intermediary between the grieving families and the authorities. The task was soon