Maintaining an arm’s length relationship between politics and journalism is a foundational principle in all Nordic countries. Despite this shared commitment, each country has developed its own distinct model for supporting news media and safeguarding the arm’s length principle. No two systems are alike.

This comparative report explores how the arm’s length principle is translated into practice in the news media subsidy legislation in force at the beginning of 2026.

The report is written by Tobias Lindberg, researcher at Nordicom at the University of Gothenburg.