Press releases

Celebrating 250 years of press freedom in Sweden

Today, Sweden celebrates the 250th anniversary of the Swedish Press Act. The act, which was the world's first legislation on freedom of expression and freedom of information and constitutes a vital part of Swedish democratic society, states that all citizens have the right to freely seek information. The European Magazine Media Association recognises the importance of this legislation, and joins in celebrating freedom of expression, transparency and media in Sweden and across Europe.

"We are proud of our press act and the fact that it was the first in the world," said Kerstin Neld, Executive Director of Sveriges Tidskrifter, EMMA's Swedish national association member. "Recent developments in Europe - in Hungary, Poland and Turkey - tells us that we must never take press freedom for granted."

On this occasion the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs is organising a number of events and actions, including an event paying tribute to women journalists "who defy hate speech and threats", a photo exhibition and the campaign #250Words that aims to inspire engagement around the principle of free speech. More information can be found here.

For further information contact:

Karin Fleming 
EMMA Communications Manager

karin.fleming@magazinemedia.eu

+32 2 536 0607

  • EMMA

    The European Magazine Media Association, is the unique and complete representation of Europe’s magazine media, which is today enjoyed by millions of consumers on various platforms, encompassing both paper and digital formats.