In their recently published study Esa Reunanen and Kari Koljonen present a view of journalistic interventionism and how it’s linked in professional ethos of Finnish journalists.

The authors conducted semi-structured interviews with journalists working in mainstream newsrooms. Analysis paradoxically shows that Finnish journalists want at the same time to avoid being partisan in political debates and to be active participants in them. They also feel the pressure to do more interpretive and interventionist journalism.

According to the writers, interventionism in Finnish journalists’ professional ethos seems defined by a commitment to a democratic political process, relatively neutral approach to political issues, and active distancing from political camps.