Finnish media outlet Yle turns 100
Finnish media outlet Yle has turned 100. In an editorial column, YLE News said that amid the flow of information, disinformation and social platform algorithms, journalism's task is to create a shared factual foundation for public discussion.
From radio to digital platforms
Yle began operating eight years after Finland's bloody civil war, when social reconciliation was only beginning. At the time, current information spread slowly and unevenly, while radio became a new technology that made it possible to deliver it to different parts of the sparsely populated country.
According to Yle, at an early stage the broadcaster was meant to be a creator of patriotic thought and a bridge between cities and rural areas. Later, journalism began to cover the world not only from the perspectives chosen by state authorities and the political majority. Its guiding principles became independence, impartiality and reliability.
Algorithms and shared reality
Yle noted that information is no longer a limited resource: digital devices constantly offer users content tailored to their profiles. At the same time, platforms run by international technology companies can, in the broadcaster's view, reinforce biases and direct people into like-minded environments.
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The editorial team compared this situation to viewing a whooper swan, Finland's national bird. From one angle, only part of the bird can be seen, rather than the whole picture. In Yle's view, quality journalism should gather information, verify facts, hear different sides, scrutinize those in power and present events at the proper scale.
Verification and reach
Yle said it has recently strengthened information verification: it created a verification team to establish the credibility of claims and videos circulating online around current events. The media outlet also developed a tool for processing public documents to monitor decision-making in Finland more effectively, expanded its network of foreign correspondents and is working on a system for assessing the balance of its own content.
The broadcaster added that the quality of journalism is insufficient without audience reach. The Linnan juhlat event and the Olympic Games continue to draw large audiences on Yle platforms. The Futistietäjä football game was used 8.4 million times last summer.
