Status: Free
Legal Environment: 1
Political Influences: 2
Economic Pressures: 5
Total Score: 8
Population: n/a
GNI/capita: n/a
Life Expectancy: 80
Religious Groups: Lutheran (87 percent), Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, other
Ethnic Groups: Swedish (89 percent), Finnish (2 percent), other, including Lapp (Saami) (9 percent)
Capital: Stockholm
Legal protections for press freedom date back to the 1766 Freedom of the Press Act. Existing legislation protects confidential sources and access to official information. The state provides subsidies to support financially struggling newspapers. While such payments constitute just 3 percent of the national print revenue, they account for a quarter of the annual income for some local or regional papers. The majority of print and electronic outlets are privately owned. However, radio and television ownership is highly concentrated. Political divisions have limited parliamentary attempts to address the issue.
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