This new collaboration with Sweden’s largest industry organisation in the media world aims to boost the footprint of the Journalism Trust Initiative (JTI), the quality standard for news publishing developed by Reporters Without Borders. Safeguarding the highest quality standards within news publishing has never been more critical, even in a country often paired with high levels of trust.
Sweden regularly tops international rankings for press freedom – 91,03 /100 in 2024 on the RSF’s 2024 World Press Freedom Index – or for trust in news – Reuters Institute’s Digital News Report 2024. In such a context, Sveriges Tidskrifter and the JTI team will offer news publishers interested in reinforcing the legitimacy of their work dedicated support to start the process to become certified.
“This collaboration highlights the importance of maintaining rigorous standards of transparency and accountability, even in one of the world’s most trusted media environments. The Journalism Trust Initiative standard is the perfect tool for Sveriges Tidskrifter to reaffirm its commitment to reliable, ethical journalism.” Benjamin Sabbah, director, Journalism Trust Initiative
“We are proud and happy to welcome the Journalism Trust Initiative team as associate members of our organisation. Standing up for press freedom, media ethics, and working to build trust in journalism has never been more important. Through this new collaboration between our organisations, we can support each other in this crucial work.” Kerstin Neld, CEO, Sveriges Tidskrifter
Journalism Trust Initiative, the international quality standard for news publishing
Initiated in 2019 by Reporters Without Borders, JTI is a news publishing certification program based on an ISO-type standard. Requirements for news organisations to obtain the JTI certification include compliance with high levels of transparency, the implementation of professional standards and with a responsible management of editorial processes. More than 1,700 media outlets from 85 countries benchmark themselves with the JTI standard, and 70 of them obtained the JTI certification from certifying organisations like Deloitte or Bureau Veritas.
More than a sign of trustworthiness, JTI is a tool to foster or guarantee benefits for certified organisations: Microsoft’s Bing gives a boost to JTI certified sources; under the EU’s Media Freedom Act, tech companies will no longer be able to arbitrarily moderate or censor contents from JTI certified sources; and many more uses are currently under development in the fields of advertising, philanthropy, public policies, etc. Contact for the Nordics: Amélie Reichmuth, JTI representative, areichmuth-ext@rsf.org
Sveriges Tidskrifter, Sweden’s largest industry organisation in the media industry
Sveriges Tidskrifter has 383 members who represent everything from commercial lifestyle brands to trade union newspapers and purely digital players. We pursue common issues, work with politicians on media issues, set standards, protect press ethics, educate and inspire our members and highlight good examples from the industry through experience exchanges and awards. And we know from experience that industry development must take place with broad support from the various players in the industry and linked to their needs.
