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Finland – (C3) Transparency of data on media system

Score in short:

Relevant information about the media system is generally available, but not necessarily easily accessible.

Score in detail:

Basic information about the media system is provided by the regulatory authorities. The data and publications about market structures and various aspects of content monitoring are generally available to all citizens. According to the law regulating public service broadcasting, YLE is required to provide an annual report of public service offered to the regulatory authority, which then gives a statement to the government. These reports or statements are not easily accessible to the citizens.

Various forms of information about the news media are also provided by universities, research institutes, and professional organizations like The Union of Journalists. A website co-established by the Union, Medialinnakkeet, offers detailed information particularly on changes in ownership, economy and employment issues in the media. Information on media ownership is for the most part openly available, especially as many media companies are now publicly traded. Major changes in the media markets are also reported in the mainstream news media and the financial news. Helsingin Sanomat, which is owned by the Sanoma Group, has also adopted a policy of publishing a standard acknowledgement of ownership connection whenever it reports on the companies that are owned by the same parent company.