Kauhajoki shootings front-page news abroad
Finnish firearms legislation and gun culture interest foreign media
The school shootings in Kauhajoki became a lead story in media around the world within a few hours of the event.
The tragedy was quickly reported in online publications in Australia, The United States, Croatia, Japan and India.
The first foreign dispatch came from the Reuters news agency, which reported on the unfolding events at 11:33 in the morning, just over half an hour after the shooting began. The headlines grew bigger as the day continued.
The initial focus was on the number of victims, and later on reports that the suspect had been questioned by police the day before over his shooting videos posted on the Internet.
Pictures taken from a YouTube video depicting a young man holding a gun appeared on a number of media websites.
The man, identifying himself as a 22-year-old from Kauhajoki, had posted a number of videos on YouTube showing him firing shots with a .22-calibre pistol.
The pages were taken off the Internet, but the pictures were used by many media outlets.
By the evening, the suspect’s name and picture were displayed on many websites.
Newspapers in the Nordic region especially had interviews with experts who commented on school shootings, and concerns that parents might feel.
On Tuesday evening few online publications had posted any comments or analysis of the shooting. However, Sweden’s Aftonbladet posted a “quick editorial”, starting with the words “Not again!”
Dozens of media outlets around the world contacted Helsingin Sanomat for information on the events.
Helsingin Sanomat journalists gave interviews to radio stations in Germany and Ireland, Canadian television, the British Broadcasting Corporation, and Iranian television.
In addition to the events in Kauhajoki itself, the foreign media was interested in the parallels with the Jokela High School massacre less than a year ago, as well as Finnish gun legislation and culture, and gun violence. Questions about mental health funding were also asked, as they are bound to be in the weeks ahead in Finland, too.
Helsingin Sanomat
