The Finnish Model of Media Self-Regulation and Freedom of Speech from the Legal Point of View

Abstract

The Finnish media self-Regulation is functioning very well. The media is giving respect to the Guidelines for Journalists and the decisions and statements of the Finnish Media Council. The only sanction the media can get when it has breached against the good journalistic ethics is the notice by the Council where it states that the medium has breached against the good journalistic ethics, and the responsibility to publish the decision in the medium in question without any following comments.

In the following presentation I’ll explain why the media self-regulation is functioning so well in Finland and what is the relationship between media’s self-regulation and legal regulation of the media.

Keywords: Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Expression, Press freedom, Media, Self-regulation