CMM is a national self-regulating committee established in 1968 by the publishers’ and journalists’ unions whose mandate is to interpret good professional practice and defend freedom of speech and publication. Anyone may file a complaint about a breach of good professional practice in the media, and if CMM establishes a violation, it issues a notice. All organisations signed under CMM’s charter are obliged to immediately publish this notice – practically speaking, all Finnish news media organisations are a part of that charter. CMM can also issue general policy statements.
Despite periodic criticism directed at the effectiveness of the existing self-regulatory practices, the system is strongly established and remains well-known among journalists. According to the interviews, the status of CMM’s Guidelines for Journalists continues to be strong. Editors-in-chief, journalists, as well as both publishers’ and journalists’ associations uniformly attested that the code of ethics is well known and followed within the profession. According to the director of Finnmedia, the significance of the national guidelines has been further strengthened in recent years, and the model is often seen as exemplary in other countries.
On the whole the CMM journalistic rules are followed closely and their importance has grown. The rules are the most important factor when deciding which media producers are to be considered “real news media”. The Finnish rules are exemplary and are being followed also by other countries (Finnmedia CEO 2020).
In addition to CMM, UJF also stated that it has a special responsibility to defend journalism and its ethical rules. Alongside its member associations, UJF organises courses and other activities to disseminate good journalistic practices. It also publishes the monthly professional journal Journalisti,whichsustains debate on journalistic practices and ethics.
