Tidningsutgivarna, the Swedish association of newspapers, in 2002 appointed a group of editors with the task of formulating a declaration concerning the future of reading. Hans Bergström chaired the group and wrote its main text about the civic role of texts and of reading as a culture. The text emphasized the importance of maintaining the habits and contexts which have built the strong Swedish culture of reading and writing. Schools must, also in a new media environment, actively promote reading and the practice of reading and writing.
A public commission published a report in early 2000 on how to maintain and improve democracy in Sweden. “Tidningsutgivarna”, the national association of newspapers, was invited to comment. It did so by inviting several leading editors to reflect upon the subject. Hans Bergstrom formulated his essay as an answer to the question “Why do newspapers and reading remain vitally important also in the era of television and computers?”