Driving the media sector forward
Schibsted is a forward-looking, data and technology driven media company that puts freedom of expression and trust in established media high on the agenda. Our Public Policy team supports us in taking positions that drive the media sector forward and making sure that policymakers are up to date so they can make informed decisions impacting our businesses and our society.
The Public Policy Team
Petra Wikström, Senior Director of Public Policy and External Affairs
Petra Wikström leads the public policy team at Schibsted since 1 January 2020 and is responsible for our EU issues, especially data and advertising regulation. She is also responsible for external affairs and stakeholder engagement. Petra, who has a degree in political sciences, has extensive experience in working with policy issues for several Nordic media companies. She has also worked at various media associations both in London and Brussels.
Anna Sööder, Public Policy Manager
Anna Sööder has been a Public Policy Manager at Schibsted since 2020. She has also worked with media policy at the Ministry of Culture in Sweden and as a lawyer specialized in intellectual property law, she has helped building strong consumer brands. Anna is focusing on AI regulation for the media sector, and is responsible for our policy issues in Sweden. Anna is also board member of the Swedish Media Publishers Association TU.
Einar Hålien, Group Editor and Senior Public Policy Adviser
Einar Hålien has worked with Public Policy issues at Schibsted since 2015. His background includes roles as a journalist and editor, and he was the editor-in-chief at Bergens Tidende from 1997 to 2008. At Schibsted, he is responsible for our policy issues in Norway and topics related to freedom of speech, media freedom and the conditions for editorial media. Einar is on the board of the Norwegian Media Association MBL.
Freedom of expression
Some of the most fundamental qualities of good societies are closely linked to the foundational value of “freedom of expression.” A large room for freedom of speech is a necessary, but not sufficient, condition for engaging public debates and thereby for liberal democracies. It is important that the media can fulfill its societal role without any external influence. By adhering to the professional code of journalism and in line with press ethics, media can facilitate open and developing debates in society. Schibsted therefore actively works to protect strong freedom of expression and journalistic rights in all regulations affecting the media sector.
Data and advertising
Free and independent editorial media is important to uphold democracy and well-functioning societies. The financing of editorial media has been challenged during the past years, mainly due to the stronghold of global tech companies dominating the advertising market. Editorial media is still relying on online advertising as an important source of revenue. And data is needed to offer relevant content and services to our users. Schibsted works to ensure balanced data regulation that protects users’ privacy and at the same time ensures that we can innovate exciting and useful media products to our users.
Technology that empowers journalism
The AI boom has provided editorial media with new tools and possibilities to produce new types of journalistic content and make news available in personalised formats. Schibsted considers trust as being the most important asset in the increasingly automated and fragmented information landscape. Therefore, trustworthy use of AI is at the heart of our newsrooms. Together with the media sector we continuously discuss the issue of transparency when using new technology, in order to safeguard the trust in the media. Schibsted is a tech optimistic media house embracing the possibilities with AI and therefore works to promote AI regulation that facilitates innovation of new AI tools, while at the same time protecting our content from unjustified use by large AI players.
Journalism needs a reinvention
Liberal democracies in the EU have steadily weakened over the past 10 to 15 years. To examine how Europe’s editorial media contribute to supporting democracies in these challenging times, Schibsted Media has created a unique report, presented here. In the report we explore whether the function of the media has evolved over the past 15 years and what the potential for the future may be. One conclusion is that the journalistic function requires a reinvention. To bring fresh insights to the debate on media’s role in democracy, we’ve analyzed data from four datasets that have not before been compared.
Go to the report
Schibsted Media EU Policy Manifesto
This manifesto outlines our vision and policy recommendations for the 2024-2029 EU legislative term, aiming to enhance the important role of editorial media in a democratic society, promote a thriving media sector and foster a competitive digital market that upholds the principles of fairness, trust and transparency.
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