Jan Olof Scherman (born 21 June 1950) is a Swedish journalist and previously CEO for the Sweden-based TV company TV4 AB.

Scherman revealed in an interview in the radio program Ekots lördagsintervju, in early January 2004, that he had been threatened by Persson after the end of broadcasting a debate between the party leaders on 10 September, before the 2002 election.

According to Scherman, who retold the story both in an article in the newspaper Expressen a week later, and later before a Riksdag Committee, the Swedish prime minister had complained that the debate moderators, Lennart Ekdal and Alice Bah had done a bad job, and accused Scherman and his staff of "investing heavily" in a non-Socialist victory in the election, pointing out how this policy would lead to him making enemies in Rosenbad, the government offices in Stockholm, if the Social Democrats would retain power in the election.

According to Scherman, Olof Palme and Carl Bildt had also had their own favorites among reporters, denying access to others.

[2] In the interrogation with the Committee on the Constitution, Persson agreed that he had found the debate badly organised and the questioning of himself very aggressive.