Home Grants Funding programmes and thematic grant calls Thematic grant call 2024: Media and Democracy in Finland in the 2020s Thematic grant call 2024: Media and Democracy in Finland in the 2020’s GrantsFor grant applicants Criteria for applying Kone Foundation’s focuses in awarding grants Guidelines for making an application Evaluation and decisions Frequently asked questions Propose a peer reviewer For grant recipients General information about the grant Grant payment, social security and taxation Grants+ Project communications Kamari – “The Chamber” Kone Foundation logos and mentioning the Foundation’s support Funding programmes and thematic grant calls Funding programme: Is Democracy Eroding? (2021–2025) Thematic grant call 2024: Media and Democracy in Finland in the 2020s Thematic grant call 2022: The current state and challenges of Finnish democracy Thematic grant call 2021: Language, Power and Democracy Previous thematic grant calls Metsän puolella initiative (“In the Woods“) Metsän puolella: Guidelines for making a grant application Vuoden Tiedekynä Academic Writing Award The third thematic grant call in the programme “Is Democracy Eroding?” focuses on the relationship between media and democracy in the 2020s. The thematic grant call will be held 1–15 September, 2024. The ongoing radical transformation of Finnish journalism poses a threat to democracy. Media ownership has become concentrated, the number of journalists has decreased, and in many regions, a single media house nearly monopolizes the market. The decline of local journalism narrows content, reduces political participation and critical examination of local decision-makers, and increases the risk of negligent use of public funds. The diversification of society is not yet reflected in the journalistic community. At the same time, societal debate and political influence have shifted to global social media platforms, where established ethical rules of journalism do not apply. Artificial intelligence applications have an impact on both social media and traditional media houses, and content based on images and sound challenges text-based communication. Media literacy is in flux as algorithms guide media consumption and users try to assess content reliability. Additionally, students’ reading skills are deteriorating, and the media usage between different user groups is becoming more distinct. However, studies show that over two-thirds of Finns trust the news they follow – what will the future hold? How will this affect democracy? Kone Foundation’s autumn 2024 thematic call, Media and Democracy in Finland in the 2020’s, examines changes in the media environment, diversity, and pluralism from a democratic perspective. In the theme call, the foundation can fund projects that, through research, enhance understanding of, for example, the impacts of media concentration, content homogenization, or changes in editorial practices on democracy, or explore the effects of social media and traditional media on democracy in Finland and globally. The foundation encourages collaboration between researchers and journalists in the projects. The thematic grant call will be organised in conjunction with the annual grant call, 1–15 September, 2024. More information For more information, please contact Kalle Korhonen, Director of Funding, kalle.korhonen@koneensaatio.fi