Gossip as Journalism and Journalism as Gossip: A Cultural History Investigation of Two Royal Sex Scandals in Sweden 1890 and 2010

This chapter contributes with new knowledge about the cultural history of media scandals. It focusses two Swedish sex related scandals; the first took place in the 1890’s and the other in 2010-11, both with kings at their center. The aim of the chapter is to understand how oral, folkloristic media as gossip and rumor, are intertwined with traditional, established journalism when scandals evolve. A method with the goal to hear talk in text is developed, i.e., how researchers can use their hearing while reading to detect traces of rumor and gossip in printed text. A mixture of material is used such as press material, libels, chapbooks, satirical pictures, novels and so-called threads at an internet forum. Changes in the Swedish media system, the monarchy’s power and the view upon sexuality are highlighted. The results show that rumor and gossip should be considered as media genres in their own right both now and then, that come into play when a scandal is at stake, through complex communication circuits.