A mentoring program that builds bridges between foreign background journalists in Finland with Finnish editors in chief is currently being organized. It is part of the Finnish Foundation for Media and Development’s (Vikes) ”Media Moniäännisemmäksi nyt! (More Diverse Media Now!)” project that is funded by Helsingin Sanomat Foundation. The project’s main goal is to create a sustainable foundation for Finnish media houses in improving their diversity through tailored training.
Four foreign background journalists participants of Vikes’ mentoring project shared their stories and experience in the Finnish media field at the latest Democracy Drinks event organized on April 2nd, 2025. The speakers have mentioned how only a few Finnish media channels had approved their created content. Those who have had work experience at the Finnish-language media houses also mentioned that support from colleagues and the usage of artificial intelligence and translation tools to be really crucial in succeeding in their roles. Many of the foreign background journalists now create content for Satakieli Media, a multilingual media published by Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences journalism degree program. Satakieli produces content in English, Ukrainian, Russian, Arabic, and Finnish.
More Diverse Media Now! project leader Kristiina Markkanen talked more about the mentoring project and the efforts done by Vikes to create a more diverse Finnish media.
Democracy Drinks is a once-a-month event organized in different cities around the world, discussing democracy in an informal environment, with the Helsinki-held events organized by Demo Finland. The next Helsinki Democracy Drinks is organized by research company Verian. It will be held on May 7th, 2025 at Bruuveri Bar in Kamppi. The next Democracy Drinks will discuss about this year’s County and Municipal Elections and the party opinion polls.
Text: Nadira Kusaeni
Photo: Senni Kujanpää
