Over the past year, the Press Council received 40 complaints. This is 19 less than in 2024. For example, in 2022 there were 33 complaints. In the years 2016–2019 there were more complaints, over 80 per year.
The most complaints, 15, were received regarding publications of the Postimees Group. Of these, eight complaints concerned Postimees, the rest concerned the Russian-language online publication, regional newspapers, and Elu24.
Five complaints came regarding Eesti Ekspress, four Delfi, three ERR, and TV3. Two complaints were received regarding Õhtuleht, Äripäev, and Saarte Hääl.
Complainants accused the articles of distorting facts, making false statements, and biased coverage. They also complained that some people related to the article were not able to speak.
The decisions of the Press Council were mostly justified. No errors were found in the activities of the publications. In five cases, it was found that the journalist made a mistake. No decision has been made yet on three complaints.
Sometimes complaints are resolved without discussion by the Press Council. For example, some complainants have settled for the publication of a rebuttal. In the case of complaints against ERR, the decision of the media ethics advisor was sufficient.
In 2024, the Press Council made a total of 49 decisions. Of these, 28 were justified and 21 were condemnatory. In the remaining cases, the publications reached a prior agreement or the complaints were rejected.
The Press Council consists of ten members. They resolve readers' complaints about materials published in the press. In addition to members of the Estonian Media Enterprises Union, ERR, BNS, and Levila have also joined the council.