The protests that erupted in the US following the killing of George Floyd have spread throughout the country. In some instances rioters have attacked journalists, but the assaults by law enforcement against journalists have been unprecedented. “We’ve never witnessed this before”, said UJF president Hanne Aho. “The Union of Journalists in Finland voices its supportRead More
The UJF has welcomed the draft legislation drawn up by the Ministry of Justice and published 27 May aimed at tackling threats and trolling by making them subject to prosecution. The draft bill results from the goal outlined in the programme of the current government to intervene more forcefully in systematic acts of harassment, threatsRead More
The corona pandemic has hit freelancers where it hurts, in their wallets and work. A UJF survey conducted over April-May has revealed that as a result of the pandemic income has decreased ‘a lot’ for 43 per cent of respondents and ‘somewhat’ for 24 per cent. For two-thirds of respondents the amount of work theyRead More
The UJF and Finnmedia, representing employees and employers respectively, have agreed on the best way to support reliable media through the Covid-19 crisis. The two organisations have called on the government to decide urgently on support for media impacted by the corona pandemic. The union and Finnmedia have proposed that support be aimed atRead More
Parliament now has before it a wide-ranging package of legislation on military and civil intelligence. In its statement to the Parliamentary Committee on Defence, the UJF has pointed out errors and problematic issues in the draft legislation that could in practice erode source protection for journalists.
Finland’s ranking in Reporters Without Borders’ World Press Freedom Index has taken a beating for the second consecutive year.