Finland’s Statistikcentralen has announced that it will discontinue its media statistics branch as part of sweeping changes to its statistical production, effective 2025. This move, driven by government cost-cutting measures, marks a troubling pattern across the Nordic region, where publicly funded data on the media landscape is diminishing.
Following a four million euro budget reduction set to take effect by 2027, Statistikcentralen plans to discontinue four statistical branches, including mass media statistics, and scale back 12 others. These measures, officials say, are necessary to safeguard resources for legally mandated data production, such as environmental accounts and labour market statistics.
The announcement by Finland’s Statistikcentralen regarding changes to its data production reflects a broader trend of cutbacks in publicly funded data initiatives across the Nordic region. Earlier this year, Norway witnessed the closure of Medienorge, an institution that had provided over three decades of independent media analysis. Its responsibilities were transferred to Medietilsynet, Norway’s media authority, raising concerns about blurred lines between regulatory oversight and independent research, potential conflicts of interest, and reduced transparency in how responsibilities are allocated.
– The reduction in media statistics production in Norway and Finland is troubling from both national and Nordic perspectives. Without reliable data, we lose critical insight into media trends, hinder democratic accountability, and weaken the foundation for informed policymaking in the Nordic region, says Jonas Ohlsson, director of Nordicom.
Marko Ala-Fossi, Head of the Communication Science Unit at Tampere University and member of the expert group on mass media statistics at Statistics Finland, explains:
– One of the reasons Statistics Finland could discontinue media statistics is the lack of legal obligation to produce them. Unlike other statistics, media statistics are not safeguarded by law. While the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom offers some transport and communications data online, it covers only a small fraction of the media and communications field that Statistics Finland once managed. This reflects a similar shift that has already taken place in Norway. It’s a sad loss, as it makes it even more difficult to develop a well-informed media and communications policy.
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