Swedish TV jibe targets leaders

One of the trailers portrays an unflattering picture of Italian TV

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi are the unwitting stars of Swedish state-funded TV's new campaign.

SVT's publicity, which is disparaging about both leaders' relationship with the media, is designed to highlight the station's own independence, it says.

One advert aired shows Mr Berlusconi, who is Italy's biggest media magnate, blowing kisses from TV screens.

Another is similarly critical of Mr Putin's relationship with the media.

"We believe it is very important to have a television completely free from advertisers, owners and political influence," Helga Baagoe, SVT's director of corporate communication, told the BBC News website.

"In a democracy, you do need a totally independent broadcaster."

Neither leader has commented on the campaign, but Swedish viewers had mixed opinions.

'Smear campaign'

The trailer shows snippets from Italian television with ticker tape running across.

"Silvio Berlusconi controls 90% of national TV channels in Italy," it reads. "He became prime minister in 1991 after a massive TV campaign."

"Right after that, a tribunal ruled he should sell one of his channels. Then the law changed," the ticker says, rolling over footage from some of Italy's many entertainment shows featuring scantly-clad girls.

A similar ad claims that Mr Putin is in control of all national TV channels in Russia - including NTV, the last independent channel, acquired by the state in 2003.

"In the run-up to the 2004 presidential election, only positive reports on Putin were aired," it alleges.

But the campaign received mixed reactions from its viewers posting messages on its website.

Some argued that the campaign was a form of propaganda in itself.

"It's absurd that a state television channel should claim it is free," wrote Staffan Ingvarsson.

"Your smear campaign against Russia and Italy is incredibly tasteless and the comparison is dubious. What are you trying to achieve?" wonders Torbjoern Oeberg.

But others were, apparently, delighted.

"Never before have I felt so proud to be Swedish in my 19-year life as last night, when I saw the trailer about Italy," wrote John Liden.

"It was great to see once again that I live in one of the world's most law-abiding and democratic countries."