EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Sweden's tradition of support for underdog newspapers is being targeted by the European Commission, which views the country's public funding of a town's second-biggest newspaper as running counter to EU competition rules. Stockholm has long provided the second-biggest paper in a city or town with state subsidies as a countervailing measure against the tendency for advertisers to flock towards the top-selling paper. An old copy of the Stockholms Dagblad In this way, left-wing newspapers in right-wing areas are protected from the depredations of the market, and vice versa, with the aim of assuring political and media pluralism. However, the commission on Wednesday (17 June) called on Sweden to reduce the funding it provides to papers in large towns, claiming that they breach EU rules on state aid.
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Sweden's tradition of support for underdog newspapers is being targeted by the European Commission, which views the country's public funding of a town's second-biggest newspaper as running counter to EU competition rules.
Stockholm has long provided the second-biggest paper in a city or town with state subsidies as a countervailing measure against the tendency for advertisers to flock towards the top-selling paper.
An old copy of the Stockholms Dagblad
In this way, left-wing newspapers in right-wing areas are protected from the depredations of the market, and vice versa, with the aim of assuring political and media pluralism.
However, the commission on Wednesday (17 June) called on Sweden to reduce the funding it provides to papers in large towns, claiming that they breach EU rules on state aid.
