Hanne Aho, the president of the Journalists’ Association, reminds that in a democracy, the media looks at those in power with a magnifying glass. A journalist’s work can also be criticized, but personal criticism is not appropriate, sums up Aho.
Freedom of the press is the cornerstone of democracy and must be respected, reminded the politicians of the Basic Finns and the coalition on Monday.
“Part of the politicians of the Basic Finns and the coalition are targeting Iltalehti’s editor for the second day. Painting is aimed at the journalist’s personality,” Journalistiliitto wrote on Twitter.
The background was the politicians’ strong and partly personal criticism of Iltalehti’s editor Eastern Wilderness towards.
Among other things, the MPs of basic Finns Sebastian Tynkkynen and Will Rydman have been tweeting about the articles they wrote for Erämaan Iltalehte in recent days. Member of Parliament of the Coalition Hi Sammallahti again grabbed a video on Twitter that Erämaa published on his personal Tiktok account.
The Association of Journalists (PTY) also took a stand on the issue on Monday, among other things, appealing to all social actors to defend press freedom.
On Tuesday, the chairmen of the basic Finnish and coalition parliamentary groups Jani Mäkelä and Matias Marttinen commented on Iltalehti’s editor’s review in Yle’s morning. Marttinen said that the coalition is in contact with the Union of Journalists to investigate the case.
Mäkelä, on the other hand, said that he understood the reactions of his party’s politicians.
“You must also be able to publicly criticize such activities on social media, as these MPs have done. In that sense, I understand their actions.”
Also the Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (kok) commented on the case on Monday In an interview with HS. He said he was worried about the “confrontation and discussion atmosphere” but did not want to “point to any one group”.
How how much criticism should journalists endure for their work? Why was Iltalehti’s editor’s review seen as paint? Chairman of the Finnish Association of Journalists Hanne Aho answered HS’s questions on the subject.
What kind of criticism does a journalist have to endure?
“Almost all work-related criticism, that’s a good rule to remember,” says Aho.
“If the journalist’s story is incorrect, there are mechanisms for that. You can request a correction or contact the Council for Public Speech (JSN). However, I believe that all journalists are happy to receive factual feedback”, he continues.
When is criticism inappropriate?
“Always when we’re not talking about work. That is, when the criticism focuses on, for example, private life, appearance, sexuality or even hobbies. Very often this kind of criticism is aimed specifically at young women,” says Aho.
What is painting?
For example Ministry of the Interior defines targeting as a phenomenon where “one or more actors urge and incite a large group to attack one person in various ways, for example by sending hate messages via e-mail or social media”.
Aho points out that various actors in society have always received questionable feedback. However, electronic devices make it faster and enable even larger groups to participate.
“Painting can be very diverse. It is terribly important to note that everyone can do it without thinking. It would be really important to understand exactly what it is about before sharing anything on social media,” he states.
“For example, when a person in power shares something like this, it’s as if he gives others permission to act in the same way. It is very important that the governing parties say no to this kind of thing”, describes Aho.
Aho says that the coalition has been in contact with the union to investigate the incident related to the criticism of Iltalehti’s editor.
How does painting affect the freedom of the press?
“Painting is a larger phenomenon that manifests itself as individual cases. We don’t know exactly how it affects the development of democracy,” says Aho.
“If scoring, for example, here [Iltalehden toimittajan] in this case would cause the journalist to no longer want to write about the country’s government, and then it would narrow the freedom of the press when the press itself censors itself. The job of the press is to report on politicians, and if that can’t be done, then democracy doesn’t work.”
When can the media criticize politicians?
“It depends on what level of politician it is. The media’s interest is naturally focused on the highest power holders in Finland, such as governing parties or ministers. The role of the media is to find out things and tell the people about them.”
“Politicians are looked at on a wide scale. This includes, among other things, absolutely everything that is related to this work. Sometimes we go into personal life so that we can assess whether a person is capable of making decisions and doing his job. However, news reporting must remain factual,” says Aho.
“Politicians make broad decisions on issues that concern each of us. That’s why they also have to withstand more criticism the higher they are in a position.”
What can a reader do if he notices criticism in journalism?
“The easiest thing is to be in direct contact with the editor and then, if necessary, with the editor-in-chief. If nothing happens, you can contact JSN. I understand very well that for many the magazine appears as a faceless institution that is difficult to access. This will then be channeled as a Twitter rant”, says Aho.
“Within the industry, we can think about whether it is easy to contact us and whether we are ready to admit mistakes. Within the industry, the correction mechanisms are easy, but not necessarily from a citizen’s point of view.”
#Freedom #speech #Politicians #put #work #tainted #media #president #Journalists #Association
