Free Media on the Nordic Council’s Agenda

The situation for independent media and news journalism was discussed during the Nordic Council’s meeting in Turku, Finland. The Centre Group is hoping for Nordic initiatives to support the conditions for journalism—an issue they consider fundamental to democratic societies.

The Nordic Council’s Committee for Knowledge and Culture held its summer meeting in Turku, Finland. Alongside a series of study visits and lectures, the committee also convened on Monday. During the meeting, researchers from Nordicom—a Nordic media research center at the University of Gothenburg—were invited to speak. This was in response to the Centre Group’s proposal to safeguard access to free, independent media and uphold strong journalistic ethics in the Nordic region.

– I think we had a very good discussion, and it became clear that all Nordic countries recognize the challenges facing journalism and how the entire media landscape has changed. We all want to take action, but the hard part is knowing what needs to be done—and that’s exactly what we believe we need to find out, said Kathrine Kleveland from Norway, who leads the Centre Group in the committee.

Among the issues raised during the meeting were media ownership concentration, financial difficulties for local journalism, the influence of social media, and threats and harassment directed at journalists. Lauri Salo, one of the Centre Group’s representatives in the Nordic Youth Council, also highlighted the challenges children and young people face and the types of news they encounter through the channels they follow.

A decision on the Centre Group’s proposal is expected at the next committee meeting, but Kathrine Kleveland remains hopeful:

– I felt there was broad support for the views we presented. These are major and important issues that are fundamental to our democracy. So we need a well-considered and carefully crafted recommendation to the Council of Ministers. I believe we can achieve that after today’s meeting, she said, and continued:

– As an elected official and someone who is truly passionate about freedom of expression and democracy, I’m deeply concerned to hear how threats and hate directed at journalists have sometimes influenced what is written and reported. We cannot accept that this happens in our democratic countries. These issues must be taken seriously—especially in a world where both press freedom and democratic processes are under threat.

The next committee meeting will take place in Oslo in September.

Photo: Kathrine Kleveland and Lauri Salo at the committee’s summer meeting in Turku.