Germany – (C4) Journalism professionalism
There are signs of high professionalism, such as strong unions and frequent ethical debates, but the increasing workload of German journalists is a menace to news quality.
Indicators: Control / Watchdog
Germany – (C3) Transparency of data on media system
Transparency of the complete media system is given and available for the public.
Germany – (C2) Independence of the news media from power holders
Independence from power holders is guaranteed by law and widely respected, though there are some minor cases of potential owner influence.
Germany – (C1) Supervising the watchdog ‘control of the controllers’
There is a quite high degree of media monitoring by media journalism, professional journalistic journals and to a growing extent by blogs, although there is no permanent public debate about the role of media as watchdogs.
Finland – (C9) Watchdog function and financial resources
The leading news media give priority to their own material and also seek to undertake investigative journalism.
Finland – (C8) Professional training
The importance of continuous professional training is broadly acknowledged, but not all journalists take full advantage of the opportunities available.
Finland – (C7) The watchdog and the media’s mission statements
The importance of the watchdog role is widely recognized by Finnish media organizations.
Finland – (C6) Practice of access to information
The existing law provides extensive access to public information, but problems remain in practice.
Finland – (C5) Journalists’ job security
There are few specific legal provisions that apply only to journalists, but general legal provisions and labor contracts give journalists strong occupational protection.
Finland – (C4) Journalism professionalism
The news media are characterized by a strong professional ethos and a high level of unionization.
