The Finnish Newspapers Association becomes News Media Finland
4.6.2020The Finnish Newspapers Association will change its name to News Media Finland. The Finnish Newspapers Association’s spring meeting decided on the reform on Thursday. The new name will come into effect in November.
“News media is a modern and platform-independent term. It covers both print and digital publishing and is the common denominator for all of the association’s media members. Our name change is in line with the international model of news media,” explains Petteri Putkiranta, the association’s Chairman of the Board of Directors.
Since 1948, the trade association has been called The Finnish Newspapers Association. Before that, starting in 1916, it was called Finnish Newspaper Publishers’ Association. The association was founded in 1908 with the name Suomen Lehtijulkaisijat (Finnish newspaper publishers).
The association’s new name is Uutismedian liitto in Finnish and Nyhetsmediernas förbund in Swedish.
“Most of the association’s members are still newspapers and this highly regarded term is not about to disappear. However, it is constantly more common to use “news media” alongside, or instead, of it. Digital publications are much more readily thought of as news media than newspapers,” says Executive Director Jukka Holmberg.
News Media Finland is the trade association of Finnish publishers of newspapers, free newspapers and other news media. Its goal is to improve the operating conditions and competitiveness of renewing and trustworthy news media that is significant to Finns. The main activities of the association include interest representation, marketing, research, media education, training and communications. The association publishes the periodical Suomen Lehdistö.
Currently, the association’s members comprise 114 companies, with a total of 232 publications: 169 newspapers, 57 free newspapers, 2 online publications and 4 other newspapers.
News Media Finland is the largest member of Finnmedia, responsible for representing the interests of the entire media industry.
The Finnish Newspapers Association’s spring meeting chose Anu Nissinen, CEO of Viestilehdet Oy, as a new member of the association’s Board of Directors. She replaces Heikki Laurinen, the Vice Chairman of the Board of Viestilehdet Oy, who left the association’s board.
Further information:
Petteri Putkiranta, tel. +358 (0)40 550 1551, petteri.putkiranta@sanoma.com
Jukka Holmberg, tel. +358 (0)40 735 1690, jukka.holmberg@sanomalehdet.fi