Self-regulation is practical for journalists as an ethical and professional media is an important aspect of democracy, a seminar has been told.
Olle Wastberg, former editor of the Expressen and former state secretary under the Swedish Ministry of Finance, said the job of the media was usually thankless and tiresome but journalists were obliged to work to maintain freedom.
"The media is part of the nation's DNA. The media has the right to publish and they are always protected. In Sweden, only publishers can be brought to court, never the journalists," said Mr Wastberg.
He was a panelist at a press freedom forum at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand Wednesday.
Sweden and Finland (which was part of Sweden until 1809) enacted the Press Freedom Act 250 years ago -- the world's first statute to abolish censorship and specifically provide the right for Swedish citizens to access government archives.
Last year, Sweden celebrated the centennial of its press council, which has proved effective in self-regulation.
"Self-regulation is not self-censorship," he said, although journalists today retract their comments due to hate threats being prevalent.
In Sweden, readers can lodge complaints with the press council and the media body in question is also allowed to have a say.
A group of journalists, editors and members of the public (the press council) decide whether to uphold or deny the complaint.
"If the news organisation has broken the journalistic code of ethics, the organisation must pay a fine and may have to print or broadcast a notice acknowledging their own wrongdoings," he said.
Elina Grundstrom, chairperson of the Council for Mass Media of Finland, said there are similar principles in her country.
Every citizen has the right to access government documents, she said. Finland ranked at the top of the press freedom index for seven years, and this isn't just a historical and cultural aspect; a practical step like having a press council can be established in other countries as well, she said.
Finland will celebrate the 50th anniversary of its press council, an independent self-regulatory body, with 2,300 media outlets as members.
"The work of the press council is to maintain the credibility of the profession and protect the freedom of the media. We don't issue statements so often, we don't use fines as a punitive measure either," said the chairperson.
In dealing with prevalent fake news and hoaxes, Ms Grundstrom said, the press council has urged members to improve their own conduct and educate the public on what the facts are.