The case of Nya Åland and Viking Line indicates that there may be a risk of placing stress on deliveries, experts say

Viking Line’s choice to withdraw its classified ads from the pages of the Åland newspaper Nya Åland reminds us of how essential a supply of earnings big advertisers are for local newspapers.

Shipping company Viking Line canceled its commercial acting in Mariehamn Nya Åland mag pages after the paper had posted two important articles about the organization.

The employer canceled all its bulletins in the mag planned for a year ahead at the same morning, whilst the magazine discussed in its editorial the present day business version of transport agencies and the future after focusing on tax free income.

Chairman of the Finnish Association of Journalists Hanne Aho takes the case as an instance that even the Finnish media surroundings is not immune to pressure on editorials.

“Unfortunately, advertisers have a massive effect on magazine budgets. In Finland, there have been numerous comparable instances where journalists have brought up the withdrawal of commercials. It indicates that independence is valued in deliveries.”

According to Aho, the Union of Journalists is on occasion contacted regarding journalistic independence. According to him, inside the Finnish media, factors that endanger independence are detected sensitively, which is likewise contemplated inside the research performed on the concern.

A similar case became public in July 2022, whilst a shopkeeper at K-marketplace in Loviisa terminated the lengthy-time period advertising settlement With Etelä-Suomen Media Oy, which publishes Loviisan Sanom. The motive became the articles posted by using Loviisan Sanomat about the shop’s pricing mistakes.

I am maintain it's miles vital that the concern is kept on show in order that the general public’s perception of the variations between journalism and marketing content is likewise preserved. For instance, inside the case of the Nya Åland mag, a number of the web commentators have required the advertising-funded media to be dependable to the advertisers. Some see journalists as running for advertisers.

“The majority of readers recognize the importance of independent statistics transmission, but some do no longer understand it. The subject matter wishes to be mentioned, and media education in faculties, for example, is essential,” says Aho.

”

“The majority of readers apprehend the importance of impartial data transmission, however a few do not understand it.”

Influencing via advertisements also includes so-called native advertising, i.E. Commercials imitating editorial content, which can be challenging to separate from the relaxation of the mag’s content. According to the journalist’s instructions, paid advertising content have to be actually differentiated. The Council of the Public Word is often complained approximately the violation of the training.

The public phrase chairman of the council Eero Hyvönen thanks the Finnish editors-in-chief for their straightforwardness. He brings up a case that emerged in 2020, where the editor-in-chief of Ilmajoki mag Terhi Pirilä-Porvali ended up resigning after feeling that the magazine’s board attempted to influence the magazine to editorial selection-making power.

At that point, JSN also published approximately the case position statementin which it emphasized the editors’ right and obligation to make publication decisions completely on journalistic grounds.

Hyvönen considers the possibility of economic strain on whistleblowers to be a chance that must be approached with warning.

“Especially in small neighborhood newspapers with a narrow base of advertisers, one advertiser’s share of the newspaper’s finances can grow to be very large. Often any such notifier is a municipality.”

Hyvönen highlights the Media Freedom Act series of regulations being prepared in the EU, which aims to prevent, particularly, attempts by means of international locations’ governments to persuade the media. Buying classified ads may be a huge channel for such affect. Opinions at the inspiration also are discussed in Finland at the Ministry of Transport and Communications.

However, in line with Hyvönen, the Media Freedom Act is proscribing municipalities with much less than a hundred,000 inhabitants from the responsibility to post statistics on how a whole lot and to which businesses the municipality and its groups have allocated marketing cash. Thus, the law would not in reality assist in stress conditions within the context of Finnish local media.

“In Finland, attempts to influence the government have no longer established to be a trouble, however instances do arise at the local degree. There are lobbying corporations at the extent of municipal decision-makers, and especially if there are connections from the enterprise international.”

Section 126 of the Preparedness Act, introduced during the pandemic, obliged the media to post legitimate bulletins as they may be. According to Hyvönen, particularly in the nearby newspapers, there had been disputes approximately whether the powers granted by way of the phase have been used too broadly.

And Hyvönen that Aho recall it essential that the financing of small local media must now not simplest rely on advertisers. Hyvönen believes that even public funding targeted at journalism has its own risks of in a roundabout way influencing public power. According to him, but, there are also operating fashions of public guide around the arena.