Press Freedom and Freedom of Expression in Estonia and Latvia: The Role of Agents
Halliki Harro-Loit
University of Tartu, Estonia
Mari-Liisa Parder
University of Tartu, Estonia
Anda Rožukalne
Riga Stradiņš University, Latvia
Marten Juurik
University of Tartu, Estonia
Ilva Skulte
Riga Stradiņš University, Latvia
ABSTRACT: Editorial independence and freedom of expression are not self-evident in 21st century European Union. Although the Press Freedom Index monitors the situation on a yearly basis, we ask in the context of two Baltic states – Estonia and Latvia, what the improvement of Latvia’s ranking and deterioration of Estonia’s tells us about freedom of press (FoP) and freedom of expression (FoE) in these two countries. As we differentiate between FoP and FoE in the current article, our aim is to evaluate who the agents are that play a key role in ensuring both. The main objective of this article is to propose an agent-oriented approach for the assessment of the trends concerning the practices of FoE and press freedom in Estonia and Latvia. We conclude that cases from Estonia and Latvia illustrate how the actions and non-actions from individual and institutional agents could have detrimental effect on both the FoE and of the press, even when the highest court instances and legal frameworks are generally supportive of these freedoms.
Full text: https://journals.ptks.pl/cejc/article/view/669/pdf
DOI: 10.51480/1899-5101.18.1(39).669
KEYWORDS: freedom of expression, press freedom, agent-oriented approach, case analysis, Estonia, Latvia
AUTHORS:
- Halliki Harro-Loit
ORCID: 0000-0002-7375-5063
University of Tartu, Estonia - Mari-Liisa Parder
ORCID: 0000-0002-7612-9797
University of Tartu, Estonia - Anda Rožukalne
ORCID: 0000-0001-5474-4222
Rīga Stradiņš University, Latvia - Marten Juurik
ORCID: 0009-0003-8378-6255
University of Tartu, Estonia - Ilva Skulte
ORCID: 0000-0002-4589-6600
Rīga Stradiņš University, Latvia