Finland has placed fifth in the latest Press Freedom rankings, compiled and published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), a Paris-based NGO.
Although the situation in Finland is described by RSF as "good", the NGO notes that on a global scale freedom of the press, and freedom of information, face considerable challenges.
"For the first time in the history of the Index, the conditions for practising journalism are 'difficult' or 'very serious' in over half of the world’s countries and satisfactory in fewer than one in four," the report stated.
The index, which has been compiled by RSF since 2002, assesses the media's freedom to operate based on five different indicators — political context, legal framework, economic context, sociocultural context, and safety.
RSF emphasises in particular the impact that economic pressure is having on press freedom, as the index's economic indicator stands at an "unprecedented, critical" low in 2025.
"Much of this is due to ownership concentration, pressure from advertisers and financial backers, and public aid that is restricted, absent or allocated in an opaque manner," according to RSF.
Norway once again tops the rankings in 2025, with Estonia climbing to second place, ahead of the Netherlands, Sweden, Finland and Denmark.
Finland has room to improve
Finland regularly topped the press freedom rankings throughout the early 2010s, but has now ranked in fifth place for the fourth year in a row.
While Finland's position has remained the same, RSF notes that some positive progress has been made — particularly in relation to the indicators on safety of journalists and legal frameworks, although overall Finland scored slightly worse than last year.
However, there is still room for improvement in both areas, RSF adds.
"While journalists are rarely subjected to physical violence, the threats they sometimes receive increase the risk of self-censorship. Ethnic minorities are under-represented among journalists, which impacts journalistic work and content diversity," the report says.
Kaius Niemi, a former editor-in-chief at Helsingin Sanomat and current president of the Finnish branch of RSF as well as Deputy CEO at communications firm Miltton, told Yle that more action is needed to improve the situation in Finland, adding that a free press benefits the entire society.
"We should all advocate for the need for free, fact-based information. Even though some stories may be irritating at times, it is still important that society is constantly scrutinised through the medium of journalism," Niemi said.
RSF also noted the impact that US President Donald Trump is having on press freedom both in the United States, which dropped two places to 57th in the rankings, and in other countries around the world.
According to Niemi, Trump's influence is also having an effect in Finland.
"Trump's way of doing politics is populist. He attacks the press directly," Niemi said.
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