Working group appointed to prepare state support for journalism

The Ministry of Transport and Communications has appointed a working group to assist in further preparation of the temporary government grant intended to support journalism. The members of the working group will represent the media sector and experts in the field. The term of the group will be from 1 July 2020 to 31 December 2020.

The working group will assist the Ministry of Transport and Communications in defining the criteria for awarding government grant and determining the eligibility for funding, as well as in assessing the tasks, role and composition of a media support board. The group may also serve as a support board when awarding the grants. In addition, it will examine, whether a more permanent aid mechanism could be introduced to support journalism.

The working group members are:

Hanne Aho, chair, Union of Journalists in Finland

Marko Ala-Fossi, Media Researcher, University of Tampere

Mikko Grönlund, Research Manager, University of Turku

Jukka Holmberg, CEO, Finnish MEdia Federation

Mikko Villi, Professor, University of Jyväskylä 

Päivi Korpisaari, Professor in Communication Law, University of Helsinki

The group will be chaired by Sini Wirén, Director of Unit at the Ministry of Transport and Communications, and the secretaries will be Emil Asp, Senior Ministerial Adviser, and Päivi-Maria Virta, Chief Specialist, at the Ministry of Transport and Communications.

The appointment of the working group is based on a government proposal on government grant to journalism. The purpose is to support journalism in the conditions caused by the COVID-19 crisis. The aim of the proposal is to promote the provision and development of diverse Finnish journalism. The Ministry of Transport and Communications would not influence the journalistic content or the decisions on beneficiaries of aid.

Inquiries:

Sini Wirén, Director of Unit, tel. +358 40 772 2153 (26 June to 17 July)

Emil Asp, Senior Ministerial Adviser, tel. +358 40 509 9757 (as of 28 July)

Päivi-Maria Virta, Chief Specialist, tel. +358 50 362 7906 (29 June to 17 July)