Finland's largest newspaper welcomes Trump and Putin to 'the land of free press'
As President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin make their way around Helsinki for Monday's summit, they will be met with some 300 billboards promoting press freedom.
The ad campaign is run by Finland's largest newspaper, Helsingin Sanomat. Its aim, explained editor-in-chief Kaius Niemi, is to make a "statement on behalf of critical and high quality journalism."
The billboards are printed in English and Russian and feature the paper's headlines about Trump and Putin's hostility toward the media.
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Trump has labeled the media the "enemy of the American people" and decries unfavorable reports as "fake news" regardless of accuracy. Putin's Russia is marked by "draconian laws and website-blocking" targeting independent media, notes watchdog group Reporters Without Borders (RSF): "At least five journalists are currently detained in connection with their reporting — an unprecedented number — and more and more bloggers are being jailed."
RSF ranks Russia 148 of 180 on its 2018 World Press Freedom Ranking. The U.S. has dropped to rank 45. Finland is in the top five.
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