Finnland's national news agency under threat
The newspapers of Finland's largest media group Sanoma have announced plans to either decrease or end their use of content from the national news agency STT. This could mean the end for the news agency, as it would be deprived of its main source of income. What would it mean for Finland?
A major loss for the country
Keskisuomalainen fears that STT's demise could have negative consequences for Finnish society:
“STT is part of a network of international news agencies, and is hugely important as a reliable source of information for Finnish media and society. STT news is distributed worldwide and helps to ensure that correct information about Finland is disseminated abroad. ... The news agency can't ask for direct support from the state budget because the state is heavily indebted and constantly taking on more debt. ... As a result of Sanoma's decision, it now looks like Finland could lose its national news agency next spring. This is a loss that could incur social consequences in the long term.”
AI can't replace STT
News agencies fulfil an important function, Savon Sanomat emphasises:
“STT is an institution that is highly trusted even in times of upheaval in the media sector. ... There are certain Western countries where there is no national news agency, but most do have one. In Finland, too, it would be desirable to maintain STT, for example by giving it a share of the taxes that the public broadcaster Yle receives. At a time when the reliability of information dissemination is being called into question, there is a growing need for news agencies. It's a great pity that Sanoma doesn't appreciate this and apparently assumes that it can get by with its own newsroom and artificial intelligence.”