NORDIC 
MEDIA POLICY

In this week’s issue of Nordic Media Policy, we cover the sentencing of a Swedish journalist in Turkey, Denmark’s interest in closer Nordic TV cooperation, the ongoing crisis at KNR in Greenland, new TV regulations in Norway, updated rules for the Icelandic Media Commission, and Yle in Finland’s search for a new MD. All this and much more.

New media figures from Norway and Sweden

This year’s media barometers from Norway and Sweden highlight continued high levels of media consumption. In Sweden, Nordicom’s Media Barometer 2024 reports that 51% of the population aged 9 to 85 read or listened to a book on an average day. And 66% read or listened to a book at least once a week. That is the highest figure recorded in the 21st century. In Norway, Statistics Norway’s Norwegian Media Barometer 2024 shows that 65% of the population aged nine and above engaged with a newspaper on an average day. In more detail, 15% read a printed edition, while 58% accessed a digital version.

Swedish journalist given a suspended prison sentence in Turkey

The Swedish journalist Jonas Medin, from Dagens ETC, was last week handed a suspended prison sentence in Turkey after being convicted of insulting the country’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Medin, who travelled to Turkey on 27 March this year to cover the protests following the arrest of Istanbul’s mayor, denied the charge, Journalisten SE reports. Medin will not be able to return to Sweden, as he is still facing charges of participating in a terrorist organisation and spreading terrorist propaganda – charges he denies. Swedish publishers stated in an op-ed in Aftonbladet that they expect the Swedish government to protest strongly and for the charges against Medin to be dropped and for him to be immediately released. To Dagens ETC, Minister for Foreign Affairs Maria Malmer Stenergard (M) said that it is her “hope that Joakim Medin will soon be reunited with his relatives in Sweden, and we [the government] continue to work hard to make this happen”.

Journalist defamation case reopened in Finland

The Finnish National Prosecution Authority has reopened a defamation case involving a journalist from Iltalehti. This decision came just days after the Union of journalists filed a complaint against the initial decision to drop the investigation. The journalist had written about Finland’s political situation in a column for Iltalehti in mid 2023, which led to extensive negative personal attention in various media and on social platforms.   

Norway’s collection of communication data is legal

In March, the Oslo District Court ruled that the Norwegian Intelligence Service’s collection, storage and processing of electronic communications between individuals in Norway, which technically pass through foreign servers, is legal, reports Advokatbladet. The court sided with the state in the lawsuit filed by the Tinius Trust, owner of Schibsted. The plaintiffs argued that the Intelligence Service’s actions amounted to extensive and arbitrary mass surveillance of individuals in Norway and challenged the freedom of expression. The Tinius Trust has declared that it will appeal the verdict. 

Closer Nordic TV cooperation in the future? 

Closer Nordic cooperation on the export of Nordic media content, increased collaboration between public service broadcasters, and perhaps even a first joint step towards creating a Nordic alternative to non-European streaming services – this as a response to the major foreign streaming giants entering the Nordic markets and the growing proportion of AI-generated content. These are some of the visions that the Danish Minister for Culture Jakob Engel-Schmidt (M) outlined in his open letter to his Nordic colleagues ahead of a Nordic Council of Ministers meeting in Finland yesterday. At the meeting, it was decided to explore whether a Nordic alternative to the international streaming services could be created. 

New rules for commercial radio in Sweden

The Swedish government has decided on a new bill for commercial radio operations. In the bill, the government proposes the introduction of a new fee model for licences to broadcast analogue commercial radio. Under the new system, radio companies will pay an annual broadcasting fee, which will be determined based on the market value of a licence in the commercial radio market. The bill also proposes amendments to the Radio and Television Act, which means that the rules on licences and conditions for broadcasting analogue and digital commercial radio will be unified. The legislative changes are proposed to come into effect on 15 November 2025.

Denmark wants to ban spread of deepfakes

The Danish government aims to fight the spread of deepfake videos online, reports the Local Denmark. To achieve this, the government plans to initiate negotiations to amend copyright laws. The goal is to update the law to address the emergence of fake videos, which can, e.g., lead to identity theft. Specifically, the proposal seeks to stop the distribution of manipulated content like deepfake videos and AI-generated material that portrays individuals without their consent.

Continued crisis for KNR in Greenland

The final composition of Greenland’s parliament after the election on 11 March remains uncertain, reports Sermitsiaq. However, one thing seems clear: The country’s public service broadcaster, KNR, is set to receive political support. According to the newspaper, the company has transitioned from a work stoppage to management chaos. The workload is reported to be very high, so high that some news programmes have been taken off the air. Recently, permanent staff at KNR’s news editorial team stopped working due to the immense work pressure, writes Journalisten DK.

New TV regulations in Norway 

The Ministry of Culture and Equality in Norway has introduced several changes to the broadcasting regulations. These changes include stricter and new requirements for the universal design of TV programmes for all TV and streaming-service providers, as well as more flexible advertising rules for radio and TV. Both the legislative and regulatory changes went into effect on 1 May 2025, writes the Norwegian Media Authority.

Amendments to Finnish broadcasting act proposed

A new legislative amendment in Finland expands the public service broadcaster Yle’s obligations to disclose information about its operations and finances to the public. This proposal, which includes changes to the Yle Act, was submitted to the parliament by the government in April, according to a press release from the Ministry of Transport and Communications. The date for the debate and decision in the plenary session has not yet been determined.

Updated rules at the Icelandic Media Commission

The Icelandic Media Commission’s rules of procedure and guidelines on complaints and the right to reply have been updated. The new rules are designed to clarify and increase transparency in the commission’s procedures, complementing its existing rules. These updates were approved at the commission’s meeting on 30 January 2025.

Changes to Norwegian innovation and development subsidy on consultation

In March, the Norwegian Ministry of Culture and Equality sent out a proposal for consultation regarding changes to the regulations on innovation and development grants for news and current affairs media. Firstly, the proposal suggested changes to the general conditions in the regulations to open the scheme and expand the range of media eligible to receive subsidy. Secondly, it proposed minor adjustments to the regulations to better align the provisions with the practices of the Norwegian Media Authority’s administration of the scheme. The final consultation day was 29 April. Responses have been received from the Norwegian Media Businesses’ Association and the Norwegian Union of Journalists, among others.

Nordic media policy bulletins

Yle Finland: Yle is looking for a new Managing Director.

DR Denmark: Bjarne Corydon, former Social Democratic Minister of Finance and editor-in-chief of Børsen, new director general of DR. 

DR Denmark: DR has published its 2024 public service report.

Ministry of Culture Denmark: The annual report of the Radio and Television Board for 2024 is published.

Danish parliament: Liberal Alliance wants restructuring of public service in Denmark.

Norwegian parliament: Norwegian Centre Party calls for new media subsidy.

Administrative Court of Stockholm: Swedish authorities can obtain certificates of publication for periodicals.

Norwegian government: The Norwegian Media Authority, the Consumer Authority, the Data Protection Authority and Nkom will together enforce the EU regulation for digital services (DSA) when the regulations are implemented in Norway.

Finnish Ministry of Transport and Communications: The Ministry has launched preparations for a new period of network and programming licences for terrestrial television; the new licence period should start on 11 January 2027.

[tom länk]

Nordic reports, statistics and studies

Roskilde University: Innovation subsidy has helped existing news media to develop digitally and new news media to be established.

Journal of Business Media: Unveiling the dynamics of Norwegian newspaper circulation and subscription prices in the digital era.

Journal of Communication: The recent mergers of media companies in Sweden have improved the quality of news reporting.

Reporters Without Borders: Norway, the only Nordic country to be top three on RSF’s Press Freedom Index 2025.

Icelandic Media Commission: New report on local media usage, hate speech, polarisation, information disorder and trust.

Norwegian Media Athourity: Editorially controlled news media remain strong in Norway, but a growing number of people are also turning to social media for their daily news.

Swedish Media Agency: Fresh report on challenges and trends in the media landscape.

Danish Ministry of Digital Affairs: 58% of Danes avoid social media debates, mainly due to the harsh tone, according to a new study.

Ministry of Culture Denmark: Novel report on authors’ conditions and economy in the streaming era.

Don't forget our EU newsletter

Did you know that Nordicom has another newsletter about the media policy sector in the EU? It is called European Media Policy.

About the newsletter
The newsletter Nordic Media Policy reports on media policy developments in the Nordic countries and at the Nordic level. It presents new legislative proposals, parliamentary debates, and new media policy decisions and initiatives. The newsletter also draws attention to new reports and studies in the media field from the Nordic countries.

Nordic Media Policy is published with support from the Nordic Council of Ministers.

Editor
Tobias Lindberg, researcher at Nordicom
tobias.lindberg@nordicom.gu.se

Publisher
Nordicom University of Gothenburg
PO Box 713
SE-405 30
Gothenburg 
Sweden 
www.nordicom.gu.se

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