Adlercreutz will raise STT closure with government

Education Minister and Swedish People’s Party leader Anders Adlercreutz will raise the planned closure of the Finnish News Agency STT with the government, Yle reports. STT says its news operation will end in March, after the agency announced it would lay off almost all its staff.

Adlercreutz called the loss of a national news agency a major setback for Finland. He said the government should assess the negative effects of the closure and consider possible ways to address the situation. He did not take a position on whether the state should intervene, saying the issue should first be considered by the Ministry of Transport and Communications.

“Its national significance makes this, in my view, an issue for the whole government as well. I hope we can still consider the options within the government,” Adlercreutz said.

The government had previously promised STT about one million euros in state support, but the agency said that would not be enough to save the company and did not accept the funding. STT is owned by media companies, with Yle holding a 1.7 per cent stake.

Adlercreutz also hopes STT’s owners will consider how they could help keep the agency operating. He said it would be difficult for the state to invest significantly in the company if there was no clear market for its services. But he added that many media organisations rely heavily on STT.

Coalition MP and docent in military sciences Jarno Limnell said closing STT would pose a risk to Finland’s security and security of supply. He argued that the agency’s role in the information environment is more important than ever and compared it with other critical infrastructure.

Limnell said the agency’s future should be examined, including the possibility of continuing its news operation as part of Yle or as a journalistically independent unit connected to the broadcaster.

Jouni Ovaska, chair of Parliament’s Transport and Communications Committee, criticised Transport and Communications Minister Lulu Ranne’s response to the closure. Ranne wrote on X that STT’s owners had failed to agree on the company’s development, demand for its services had been insufficient and its newsroom had not adapted to changes in the media industry.

Ovaska said the government should not dismiss the issue and plans to propose that his committee discuss STT’s situation. Yle said Ranne declined an interview, adding that she had nothing further to say and that inquiries had already been made into the matter.

Yle was unable to reach Prime Minister Petteri Orpo for comment.