Stockholm Struck by an Act of Terror

Friday night in Stockholm, four people were killed and fifteen people were injured by a truck, ramming through the popular shopping street, Drottninggatan. In the article, written by Christina Anderson and Martin Selsoe Sorensen in the New York Times, the attack is described to potentially be an act of terrorism. The article does not state if it is confirmed that this actually was an attack done by terrorists, but it does include a quote from the Swedish Prime Minister, Stefan Lofven, saying “This indicates that it is an act of terror.” The citizens of Sweden were all shaken up and they spoke freely about the event, updating others using social media such as Twitter and Snapchat. In this kind of situation a prior restraint could have been issued in order to prevent further discussion about terrorism, which adds on to the fear of the public. The government of Sweden did not issue such a legislation, for which there are two arguing sides; whether that was a mistake or if it was the right thing to do.

According to the book, Principles of American Journalism, written by Stephanie Craft and Charles N. Davis, prior restraint is defined as “Government prohibition of speech in advance of publication.” Sweden could have put a prior restraint in order to prohibit further discussion of terrorism until it was verified. When people hear the word terrorism, they get scared. This news story is a great example of where there should have been a prior restraint to prevent further fear to evolve from such an event.