Press Freedom and Freedom of Expression in Estonia and Latvia: The Role of Agents

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. The approach includes case research method that enables us to reveal the pressure mechanisms that are related to various agents. The study focuses on cases that put pressure on media freedom as well as those that are more related to restrictions concerning FoE: Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP) and whistleblowing. 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.