Finland: News agency STT faces threats of closure
The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins its affiliate, the Union of Journalists in Finland (UJF), in expressing deep concern over the announcement by STT, the Finnish national news agency, that it may have to wind down its news and photo operations. This puts one of Europe’s oldest news agencies at risk of closure after almost 140 years.
According to STT, the decision follows long-standing losses in its news and photojournalism units. The agency has started restructuring negotiations that could lead to 95 dismissals and the end of its current operations on 31 March 2027. It is still possible that STT could continue, but on a much smaller scale.
Research has shown that STT ranks as the most trusted source of information in Finland, creating many of the national and international news stories later reported on by regional outlets.
STT’s disappearance would result in smaller media outlets having to find replacements for the agency’s news and photo services, raising news production costs across the country. Marjaana Varmavuori, President of the UJF, has stated that “given the current security situation, where information manipulation is commonplace, Finland should be strengthening structures for disseminating information rather than weakening them”.
This decision comes as a result of years of a worsening financial situation for regional and local media. Earlier this year, the Ministry of Transport and Communications informed that an economic package to solve STT’s financial crisis was being prepared, remarking that the organisation would not fall under Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s government. Varmavuori remarks that the funds necessary for STT’s survival are fully attainable “as long as the political will exists”.
EFJ General Secretary Ricardo Gutierrez said: “The possible closure of STT would be a serious blow to Finland’s information landscape at a time when reliable, independent news has never been more important. A national news agency is public-interest infrastructure: when it goes, regional and local media lose a vital source, and citizens lose access to trusted information. We stand with our Finnish affiliate UJF and the 95 colleagues whose jobs are at risk, and we urge the Finnish government to deliver the support it promised and give STT a sustainable future.”
Founded in 1887, STT is one of the oldest national news agencies currently operating in the world. If it closes, Finland would become an exception among Western countries, most of which still have a national news agency.
