The Tampere Freedom of Speech Event will be held from the 22nd to the 24th of September 2025. The main theme will be addressed and examined from various angles during public events featuring both international and Finnish thought leaders.

The diverse audience will be presented with a broad array of insights on the global power struggle between the US and China and will have the chance to participate in a public debate on the freedom of the press in the US. This debate between experts in the field will culminate in an invitation-only event at Tampere City Hall on Tuesday, the 23rd of September 2025.

Photography exhibition

The new great wall : Darién

Award-winning photojournalist Federico Ríos from Colombia provides a new perspective on the theme of freedom with his exhibition at Finlayson in Tampere. In a piece for the New York Times, Ríos covers the journey many Latin American migrants make to the United States and, increasingly, out of it. The exhibition will open during the Tampere Freedom of Speech Event.

The Tampere Freedom of Speech Event was initiated by the administrative committee of the Pirkanmaa Regional Fund that operates under the umbrella of the Finnish Cultural Foundation. At the heart of the event is the Tampere Declaration on Freedom of Speech, in other words, the keynote speech, delivered this year by American journalist Kathleen Carroll. 

Carroll is a tireless defender of freedom of speech and a leader in decision-making about vital issues concerning journalists’ safety. She plays a leadership role in key organisations advocating for freedom of the press and has chaired the Pulitzer Prize Board. She has led a distinguished career and is the first woman ever to become the top news executive of the world’s largest independent news agency, the more than 150-year-old Associated Press. She served as the executive editor and vice president of the Associated Press for 14 years (2002–2016), responsible for the work of journalists in more than 100 countries.

Freedom of Speech Event to be organised for the second time

This year’s Tampere Freedom of Speech Event will focus on what freedom of speech means. The first event took place in September 2023 and focused on the tangible significance of the freedom of the press and pluralistic communication as part of the story of an independent Ukraine. The first Tampere Declaration on Freedom of Speech was delivered by Myroslava Gongadze, a Ukrainian journalist and media leader currently living in the US.

Why did we choose freedom of speech as our theme? Freedom of speech is a core value: it is at the heart of every democratic society and a vital part of any free person’s day-to-day life. Freedom of speech belongs to everyone.

The Tampere Freedom of Speech Event is organised by the Pirkanmaa Regional Fund of the Finnish Cultural Foundation in cooperation with the C. V. Åkerlund Media Foundation, the Finnish Foundation for the Promotion of Journalistic Culture JOKES (Journalistisen kulttuurin edistämissäätiö), Reporters Without Borders, Tampere University’s School of Journalism, the Pan-European Institute of the University of Turku, the Finlayson Area in Tampere and the Finnish media company Lännen Media.