For the past 23 years, Finland has consistently ranked among the top five countries in the World Press Freedom Index. This country is also one of the nations where public trust in the media remains the highest. However, with the outbreak of large-scale war in Europe, massive disinformation and propaganda campaigns spreading across the world have posed a threat not only to public trust in the media but also to professional journalism itself.
In this complex environment, the mission to defend journalists’ rights, protect freedom of expression, and uphold professional ethical standards has become more critical than ever. In Finland, the Union of Journalists - an organization with over a century of history - plays a key role in this process. The Union not only defends freedom of speech but also supports the work of media professionals.
This time, Kitabistan’s guest is Ms. Marjaana Varmavuori, Chairwoman of the Union of Journalists in Finland.
We are pleased to present to you an exclusive interview with Ms. Marjaana Varmavuori for Kitabistan.

- Madam Marjaana Varmavuori, first of all, thank you so much for giving an interview to Kitabistan vs DisInfo Initiative. With over 100 years of activity, the Union of Journalists in Finland has accumulated valuable experiences in addressing challenges such as war in Europe, restrictions on press freedom, and other critical issues. Currently, a large-scale war is taking place on the European continent and once again, the media is being used as a tool for disinformation and propaganda. How does the Union of Journalists in Finland fulfill its mission and also overcome these challenges in today's complex media landscape?

- Well, in a situation where a war is waging and disinformation is rampant, I think professional media becomes more important than ever. And we at the Union take our mission very seriously. We are there to defend our members, both at the workplaces and also against external threats. We represent 14,000 journalists who are working, like Finnish media professionals, from journalists to publishing editors to translators to television and cinema workers as well. So, we also have other members, not only journalists.
And together, I think we are able to face the threats and defend the public's right to know. Because we really have a strong power together. We are quite a strong union, I think. 
 

- Finland ranks 5th in the 2025 World Press Freedom Index. In your opinion, what key factors have contributed to this success? And what lessons can countries with more restrictive media environments learn from Finland's model? 

- Actually, for many years until 2016, from that I remember, Finland was in fact number one or two. So, there are also challenges in Finland. It is not like safe ground totally. But when it comes to lessons to other countries, I think the profound understanding of the pillars of an open democratic society must be mainstream in every level of society, from kindergartens to the parliament. And Finland has been successful in this so far. Openness and transparency, right to receive information, human rights, all of these are part of our common understanding as a society.
There is unfortunately no silver bullet that brings along press freedom. In Finland, we have good laws and you need to have good laws to protect press freedom. You need law enforcement, you need independent courts and you need a public that is ready to defend the democratic values. So, it is like the whole society approach. All the parts of the society are needed to protect the freedom of speech.

- As we are talking about the importance of freedom of speech, today's one of the major global problems is also disinformation. And one of the main reasons of the widespread of disinformation and misinformation, as well as the inability to maintain information impartiality, is the lack of well-specialized journalists. What kind of work does the Union do to ensure that journalists adhere to ethical standards and become more professional in Finland? 
 

- Well, I think our members are really devoted to respecting journalistic ethics in Finland. The ethical watchdog in Finland is the Council of Mass Media. It handles complaints from the citizens. And we, our Union, are active in the work of the Council and contribute to its work in many ways.
When it comes to professional journalism, journalists are well-educated in Finland. We have several universities that provide journalistic education, and we, as a Union, organize workshops for our members. For example, AI at the moment, and about many other topics, too. Our members can also apply for grants in order to educate themselves further. The Foundation to Promote Journalistic Culture is one sort of funding, but there are also other options available for journalists. 
In general, in Finland, journalists are very aware of ethical rules and professional behavior. I think today it is kind of self-evident in Finland, because we know that it is like the question of credibility for a whole profession. It is needed for that. We have to do it in the right way. Otherwise, people, they don't trust the media. And in Finland, we have high trust in the news compared to other countries. 
 

- Well, indeed, today in many countries, public trust in the media is decreasing. And this is one of the factors that can undermine democracy. But in Finland, there is a genuine dialogue between the media and civil society. And the media remains one of the most trusted institutions, as you also mentioned. In your view, what steps should be taken to maintain public trust and ensure media freedom in these challenging times? 
 

- We also have politicians who don't trust media. We have the right-wing politicians who are questioning the role of the media, the press. I think we will need more support from politicians, the understanding of the role of an open society. It is not that self-evident as it used to be before. And I think we need more discussion about the situation in Finland. And discussions also with the politicians at a really high level at the moment.

- Thank you. And I also would like to talk about the gender-based hate speech. Because it is unfortunately one of the major global problems today. Because its widespread presence in both traditional and social media affects people psychologically as well. Are there cases of gender-based hate speech or discriminatory narratives in Finland's media landscape? If so, what actions does the Union take to prevent and address those negative phenomena? 
 

- Well, we know that female journalists are sometimes targeted online. And it is usually the younger ones. So, young female journalists. Targeting and shaming of female professionals concentrates more often on their sexuality, looks, and so on, than does the targeting of male journalists. I would not say there are discriminatory narratives in media as such. However, there is a disbalance in how often, for instance, men are interviewed as experts in certain areas. Like politics or finances.
At the Union, we follow the studies and report on gender at journalistic workplaces and react when it is needed. For example, how we are educating our professionals and our members. Our members are qualified for free legal support. For instance, we see a case of gender discrimination. If we see a case where there is gender discrimination at the workplace, we are able to react on it. We have resources for that. So, legal help and education.
 

- As we are talking about gender-based hate speech, hate speech in general is very widespread on the internet. And freedom of expression is sometimes used as an argument to justify the spread of hate speech. In such cases, how does the Union distinguish between freedom of expression and hate speech or discrimination? What mechanisms are in place to prevent the misuse of freedom of speech while safeguarding its core principles? 
 

- Yeah, well, this is a big discussion in Finland. Especially when we know what is happening in the United States. Where they think differently about hate speech and its relation to free speech. The freedom of expression and hate speech, it has a different relation in the United States.
But anyway, in Finland, there are certain laws regulating freedom of speech. For instance, libel, blasphemy and threats of violence are criminalized. There is no legislation concerning hate speech. However, incitement to ethnic or racial hatred is criminalized. According to the statistics by Finnish police, there are a few dozen convictions based on hate crimes per year. Also, literally this week, the European Commission Against Racism and Intolerance gave out its report in Finland. It said that Finland should do more to prevent hate speech. And I totally agree. 
Most hate speech related crimes have to do with ethnic background. Second most common is religion. And the sexual orientation or transgender identity was the third most common reason for becoming a target. So, looking at it from a legal viewpoint, hate speech is easy to distinguish.
But of course, there are always borderline cases. And journalistic ethics is a good guideline in this. In Finland, there is no prior censorship. So, it is up to each individual to obey the laws on freedom of speech. We have some cases in court about really difficult questions of freedom of speech. 
 

- In the end, we have a traditional question. Every time we ask for book recommendations. I would also like to hear your book recommendations. What book or books would you like to recommend our viewers to read? 
 

- Well, I have been thinking about this. Not every book is translated into English or other languages. And I thought when I read a little bit about Kitabistan, I thought that there is one book. It is almost 20 years old, but it is called 100 Social Innovations from Finland. It is written by a person called Ilkka Taipale. It tells about the way how Finland became such a democracy we are today. I think that would be a good recommendation for you and your audience. 
 

- Indeed, this is one of the bestseller books in Azerbaijan. Thank you for recommending this book. Thank you so much for this insightful interview. It was really nice to have this conversation with you.
 

- Yeah, it was really nice to talk to you.

Malak Hajiyeva

05.11.2025