What does “sponsored content” mean for you as a reader?
When you see a piece marked as sponsored content on Riksjournal, it means that a commercial partner has paid for the article to appear on our site. You should be able to recognise it immediately—every such article carries a clear label at the top that says “Sponsored content” or “Betalt samarbete.” The label is always visible before you start reading, and it appears again at the bottom of the page. We never hide this information, because your trust is the foundation of everything we do. Sponsored content is produced by our editorial team or by the advertiser, but in both cases we retain full control over the journalistic standards applied. The article will never mislead you about its commercial nature.
How do we distinguish sponsored content from affiliate links?
This is an important distinction. Affiliate links are ordinary links within regular journalistic articles, for example when we write about a book or a service and include a link that generates a small commission if you make a purchase. Those links are always disclosed, often with a short notice such as ”Innehåller affiliatelänkar.” Sponsored content, by contrast, is an entire article or feature that has been commissioned or paid for by a specific partner. The article itself is the commercial arrangement. You will never find an affiliate link inside a piece of sponsored content—they are kept completely separate. If an article contains affiliate links, it is never sponsored, and vice versa. Our commercial team at sponsored@riksjournal.se handles both types of partnership, but the rules for each are strict and distinct.
What rules apply to the content itself?
All sponsored content must meet the same factual and ethical standards as our regular journalism. The editorial team, led by chefredaktör Magnus Blomqvist, reviews every sponsored article before publication. The advertiser may suggest topics or provide background material, but they never dictate the final wording, conclusions, or headlines. We do not publish sponsored content that contains false claims, exaggerated promises, or undisclosed conflicts of interest. If a piece is based on research or data, we verify the sources just as we do for any other article. Our fact-checking unit under Ida Hellström may be asked to review specific claims. Sponsored content is also clearly separated from news and opinion through visual design and labelling, so you never confuse it with our independent reporting.
How this works in practice
Imagine a Swedish bank that wants to sponsor an article about household saving tips. The bank’s marketing team contacts us via sponsored@riksjournal.se. We agree on a topic, but the article is written by vår ekonomireporter Lina Axelsson or a freelance journalist working under her supervision. The bank gets to review a draft for factual accuracy—for example, that interest rates are correctly stated—but they cannot change the journalist’s assessment or remove critical advice. The piece is then labelled “Sponsored content” at the top, edited by redaktionschef Anna Falk, and fact-checked by our team. When you read it, you know the bank paid for it, but you also know the information has been independently verified. This is the balance we maintain every time.
Does sponsored content affect our independent journalism?
Absolutely not. Our editorial independence is protected by a firm contractual wall between the commercial and editorial sides of Riksjournal. The decision to publish an article without commercial influence—such as political reporting from Peter Norén or cultural reviews by Fredrik Lund—is never subject to approval from advertisers. Sponsored content is a separate product, clearly labelled, and it never alters our news agenda, editorial priorities, or the conclusions we draw in our regular reporting. All commercial relationships are disclosed in our ownership and funding statement, and you can read more about our general approach in our advertising and affiliate disclosure. If you ever feel that a sponsored article crosses a line, you can reach our complaints team at complaints@riksjournal.se.
How to get in touch about sponsored content
If you are a company or organisation interested in a partnership, please write to sponsored@riksjournal.se. Our commercial team will explain the options, pricing, and editorial process. If you are a reader who wants to report a concern or ask a question about a specific piece of sponsored content, use the same address or contact our general editorial office at info@riksjournal.se. You can also find all relevant contact details on our contact page, including phone numbers for our editorial line and the Gibraltar-based publisher, Tegelbruket Media Limited. We welcome your feedback—it helps us keep sponsored content as transparent and honest as possible.
In short
Sponsored content on Riksjournal is always clearly labelled, editorially reviewed, and kept separate from our independent journalism. We never allow payment to influence our news coverage, and we hold every sponsored article to the same factual standards as our regular work. If something is marked as sponsored, you can trust that the label is honest and that the content has been handled with the same care as everything else we publish.