This study intends to examine the Swedish news program Rapport and the way they depict violent news. We chose to study 14 days of news programs from 1987 and 2007, in total analyzing 28 days of programs. We also chose to limit ourselves to the program broadcasted at 19.30 since it’s the single most watched news program in Sweden. We wanted to focus on how violent news has changed both verbally and visually. If so, how have they changed and do we see it more frequently throughout the program? The methods we used were content analysis and qualitative research. In media logic, tabloidism theories and semiotic analysis we found the support we needed to explain our results.

Results showed an increase in violent news reports. It seems like media focuses more of their time on crime related news with a violent aim today. The late eighties news programs focus on international politics, conflicts and wars. Nowadays the news has turned inwards and focuses on events in Sweden. Because of technical development, late eighties news seemed at first lacking in depicting violent acts and consequences but the difference isn’t as big as we thought. Although today there is news with a violent visual content without mentioning the violence verbally. In some cases the violent act in itself is not of any value for the report of news. Even though violent criminal acts have increased in news reports, the violent criminal acts in society have not increased to the same extent. It seems media values criminal and violent acts over other news, perhaps because of increased competition on the media market but also because of a higher acceptance of violence shown on TV.