Migrant Tales’ 2015 Hall of Poor and Sloppy Journalism will be updated separately. To see other examples of opinionated journalism in Finland about cultural diversity, please go to this link.
Apr. 3
This story was removed by Helsingin Sanomat the following day and the newspaper has apologized for publishing it.
Miten kutsuisimme virolaisia? (Helsingin Sanomat)
What’s wrong with this story? This story could show, apart from poor and shoddy journalism, white Finnish privilege and how stereotypes are spread and reinforced. The country’s biggest daily, Helsingin Sanomat, asks its readers to vote for the best nickname for Estonians without bothering to ask Estonians what they want to be called. In my opinion some offensive names on the list include virukset (virus = a person who is half Estonian and half Russian), kroonit (they’re so much after money) and retiisit (during Soviet occupation Estonians were red from the outside but white inside). Ever wonder which groups spread stereotypes of migrants and minorities? The Helsingin Sanomat story below is a worst example of how this is done. Their sense of humor may not be shared by Estonians and maybe considered outright offensive to some of them.