New man, same journalistic policy

By Mikael Pentikäinen
     
      It is an historic day at Helsingin Sanomat: the paper’s editor-in-chief has changed. Responsibility has switched from Janne Virkkunen to this writer.
      Janne Virkkunen ran Helsingin Sanomat from 1991 for nearly 20 years. He became the third-longest serving editor-in-chief in the history of Päivälehti and Helsingin Sanomat. Serving longer than Virkkunen were two legendary newspapermen. Eero Erkko was one of the founders of Päivälehti, and its first editor-in-chief. Yrjö Niiniluoto was editor-in-chief during the Second World War and after that.
     
I am the 12th editor-in-chief in the history of the paper. I have taken on a powerful legacy from my predecessors. The content of Helsingin Sanomat is first-class and its finances are in order. The paper also has more readers than at any time in its 120-year history. The printed newspaper has held on to its position, and readership of the online edition has grown considerably.
      As the box on the top of the editorial page shows, contrary to my predecessors, I also have the role of a publisher. This traditional title of the world of publication means that in addition to journalism, I am responsible for all other activities of the newspaper. The model helps channel resources to where they are most needed, as the media changes rapidly.
      The model does not change the starting points of Helsingin Sanomat: journalistic content and advertising are kept separate; money cannot influence the journalistic content.
     
With the change in editors-in-chief, there have been questions of whether or not the policy line of the paper will change. My answer has been that the principles of the paper will remain the same, all the way down to linguistic expressions that are used, even though they might not be the most modern Finnish.
      The last time that the guiding principles of Helsingin Sanomat has been altered was in 1974. Its resilient starting points, dating back to the days of Päivälehti, are something that the paper can well anchor itself onto in the future as well.
      In a nutshell: Helsingin Sanomat is an independent newspaper, which promotes democratic ideals, social justice, and freedom of thought. It implements its task primarily by establishing the background of its news in a balanced manner, rapidly, reliably, and independently. This applies to both the printed and digital publication.
      The newspaper offers its readers material for forming their own views and well-rounded image. The modern world is complicated, and its challenges are massive. Consequently, much is demanded of the editing office.
     
Therefore, Helsingin Sanomat wants to be a free newspaper in a free and appropriately international society. It is especially important for the newspaper that Finland should fare well both economically and mentally. This means a sharp and competitive national economy, and a tolerant society, which cares for the weakest, where freedom of expression is strong, and the dissemination of information is diverse.
      The legacy of Päivälehti obliges us to engage in brave, but humble journalism, which cares go into the core of matters without bowing to images.
      We want to produce the kind of newspaper that everyone who lives in Finland, regardless of profession, training, age, gender, birth, mother tongue, or conviction, can accept as his or her own.
      Geographically, we naturally report more on issues involving the Helsinki region and Uusimaa, but we hope that the content of the newspaper will be of such high quality and so interesting that it gets readers extensively from other parts of Finland and abroad.
     
For me the return to journalistic work after serving as CEO of Sanoma News is a pleasant move. I started my career in journalism at the political desk of Helsingin Sanomat in the early 1990s.
      The challenging task of a CEO is to develop the company and to create value for both the owners, employees, and customers. The eyes of an editor-in-chief and the editorial office that he heads extend further, wider, and deeper - throughout the whole panoply of life. The editorial office needs to be capable of producing content which brings value to each reader. This happens by informing people about matters of the world in an interesting, useful, and entertaining manner.
     
When my appointment was announced, one of my children asked if it was a promotion or a demotion.
      In Sanoma house I am moving a couple of floors down, so in that respect it is a demotion. However, I feel that I am privileged to get back to jouranlistic work.
      There is a special glamour about journalism and being an editor-in-chief. It is reflected in the debate which I remember from my previous period as editor at a child health clinic in South Karelia.
      The nurse asked about the father’s profession. The mother answered that he’s an editor. “Oh, that’s too bad”, the lady at the clinic shouted out. Sometimes it might seem terrible from an outsider, but producing a newspaper is actually exciting and wonderful.
     
I have been asked what kind of a newspaper I want to make. I hope that Helsingin Sanomat can be described by the following adjectives: courageous, reliable, humble, responsible, curious, broad-minded, close, cheerful, inspired, knowledgeable, unprejudiced, critical, and prone to interaction.
      I especially want to emphasise reliability. It needs to be the dominating feature of the Helsingin Sanomat brand. Readers need to be able to trust that Helsingin Sanomat will report the news according to its best information, and as truthfully as possible both in the paper and on the Internet.
      We aim at truth and objectivity, but we recognise that their perfect attainment is not possible. The same issue looks different when viewed from different points of view, and this simply needs to be accepted.
      In this as well, freedom of expression is important: our columns are always open for constructive debate. It is an essential prerequisite for healthy democracy.
     
Helsingin Sanomat / First published in print 1.4.2010


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Newsman gets dream job (12.2.2010)
  Janne Virkkunen - a career of advancing serious journalism (28.3.2010)
  Mikael Pentikäinen appointed as Helsingin Sanomat editor-in-chief from April 2010 (12.2..2010)