STT, founded in 1887, could end its news and photo services in March 2027. Announcement comes two weeks before the NMC launches the Primary Source Journalism Framework in Brussels aimed at securing support for the news sector and day-to-day reporting in cities and communities.
On 30 September, the Finnish News Agency STT announced a restructuring that may bring its current operations to an end. It has opened negotiations covering 95 employees, nearly its entire staff. Under the plan, the news and picture agency business in its current form could be discontinued in March 2027.
Launched in 1887, STT is one of the oldest national news agencies still operating in the world. It supplies news and pictures around the clock to dozens of Finnish media outlets. According to the Union of Journalists in Finland, most of the national and international news carried by regional media comes from STT, and research ranks it as the country’s most trusted news source.
Why this matters beyond Finland
A news agency is primary source journalism in its plainest form. Its reporters and photographers are in parliament, in court and at the scene. What they file is the starting point for hundreds of other newsrooms, debate, social cohesion and change and also fuels the internet, influencers with ideas and represents fac-based soft-power.
When an agency closes, a country does not only lose an outlet, but it also loses the supply of first-hand, verified reporting that the rest of its media depends on. The Finnish journalists’ union has warned of a domino effect among regional titles. It has also pointed to the security situation, at a time when information manipulation is commonplace.
“STT is not just another media company in trouble. It is where much of Finland’s news starts. Take away the agency and you take away the reporters who are in the room, metaphorically and actually. The eyes, ears and inquiring minds of the public. Quality news depends on someone being there first. That is primary source journalism, and Europe cannot treat it as optional,” said Andrew Moger, CEO of the News Media Coalition.
“When a national news agency like STT suffers, it affects society itself, especially in a geopolitical context as complicated as the one Europe now faces. The news agency is the lifeblood of truth and must never be left to go to waste. I urge everyone who can have a positive impact on STT’s future to look beyond dry numbers.” said Alexandru Giboi, Secretary General of the European Alliance of News Agencies (EANA).
The impact on Finnish citizens, on the agenda at the Brussels launch
On 13 October, Finnish MEP Maria Guzenina (S&D) hosts the launch of the NMC’s Primary Source Journalism Framework at the European Parliament. She will discuss what the possible loss of STT would mean for Finnish citizens, as readers, viewers and consumers of news, and why primary source journalism matters. The Framework sets out nine principles that define the conditions professional newsgathering needs
“STT has been part of how Finns get reliable news for almost 140 years. Its possible closure shows why the conditions for professional newsgathering need attention at European level. That is the discussion I will host in the Parliament on 13 October,” said Maria Guzenina MEP.
The STT announcement shows that those conditions cannot be taken for granted, even in a country with one of Europe’s strongest news traditions. Finland ranks sixth of 180 countries in the 2026 World Press Freedom Index compiled by Reporters Without Borders. The NMC will raise the case with policymakers at its Brussels event, “Primary Source Journalism: the pursuit of truth and upholding trust in tomorrow’s democratic societies”, on 13 and 14 October.
More on the Primary Source Journalism Framework: newsmediacoalition.org
