Global Media Monitoring Project 2025
On May 8th, Swedish news were subjected to an intense equality audit. As part of the Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP), researchers and media professionals joined forces to analyse gender representation across the country’s headlines as part of a massive coordinated effort spanning 115 countries.
The GMMP, coordinated in Sweden by the Fojo Media Institute, is the world’s largest and longest-running longitudinal study on gender in the news media. Every five years, this initiative provides a data-driven “snapshot” of who is granted a voice in the news.
The 2025 Swedish coding process was conducted in collaboration with partners at JMG (University of Gothenburg), the Swedish Gender Equality Agency and dedicated volunteers in Kalmar, Umeå, Lund and Gothenburg.
What we measured
The study goes beyond simple headcounts to build a nuanced picture of media representation. Key metrics included:
Who is quoted as an expert versus who is interviewed as a “person on the street.”
Who is centered in news photography and broadcasts.
What specific roles and narratives are assigned to women and men within stories.
A Global movement for inclusive media
Sweden’s participation is part of a synchronized effort involving over 115 countries. By working alongside partners in nations such as Ethiopia, Rwanda and Bangladesh, the project asks fundamental questions about the future of journalism:
Whose voices define the news?
Who holds the power of representation?
How has the landscape shifted since the last major audit in 2020?
Progress or stagnation?
In 2020, Sweden outperformed the global average, with women making up 38% of subjects seen or heard in the news, compared to a global average of 25%.
The burning question for 2025 is whether the data will show continued progress or a concerning plateau. The full results will be released this autumn, providing crucial insights into what these findings mean for the evolution of journalism in Sweden and beyond.
