The International Press Institute (IPI) and the Media and Journalism Research Center (MJRC) are proud to announce the release of the Media Capture Monitoring Report for Finland, marking the sixth publication in our series assessing media capture across Europe. This report examines Finland’s compliance with the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA), which came into effect in May 2024, setting new standards for safeguarding media independence and diversity within the European Union.
Finland has traditionally one of the most robust levels of media freedom in the world and, as a result, its media stakeholders have a more skeptical view of EMFA’s relevance and applicability.
Nevertheless, problems exist. Recent government efforts to apply heavy budget cuts to the public broadcaster, Yle, have sparked debate about how to protect the independence and funding of public service media. There are also concerns about levels of media concentration and whether the strong culture of editorial independence can be relied on to protect media pluralism and integrity in the newsroom.
This report explores if, and how, the EMFA may help protect public service media and media pluralism while also considering more skeptical positions about EMFA’s impact on the regulation of media in the country.
The European Media Freedom Act (EMFA), in effect since May 2024, requires Member States to reform national media laws to combat media capture. EMFA aims to protect media independence by establishing safeguards for media regulators and public service media, ensuring ownership transparency, maintaining media pluralism, and preventing the misuse of state resources to influence media.
This Finland report is the latest report to be published in a series of seven country reports to be released in 2024. It is part of a broader series covering seven EU countries, including Bulgaria, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia. These reports serve as vital resources for media rights organizations, policymakers, and advocates dedicated to monitoring and fostering media freedom across the EU.
For more information or media inquiries, please contact:
- Oliver Money-Kyrle, Head of Europe Advocacy and Programmes – IPI: omoneykyrle@ipi.media
- Marius Dragomir, Project Editor – MJRC: mdragomir@journalismresearch.org
The project is a part of the Media Freedom Rapid Response, a Europe-wide mechanism which tracks, monitors and responds to violations of press and media freedom in EU Member States and Candidate Countries. The project is co-funded by the European Commission.