Retired prosecutor Ritva Santavuori is being dropped from a weekly chat segment on the Morning TV programme of the public service broadcaster, the Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE). She has been a regular guest for several years on the Friday morning segment in which a number of people representing different points of view comment on recent events in the news.
Santavuori, known as an outspoken promoter of conservative views, recently caused YLE to receive a reprimand from the Council for Mass Media in Finland for a recent episode in which she made unflattering remarks about the physical appearance of Sarah Obama, the grandmother of US Presidential hopeful Barack Obama, in which Santavuori compared Mrs. Obama's looks to those of a gorilla.
The council found that the remarks were an affront to human dignity.
YLE Morning TV Executive Producer Leena Pakkanen did not want to comment on the reasons for Santavuori's departure. However, she did emphasise that she rejects and condemns the opinions expressed by Santavuori.
Ritva Santavuori herself did not want to comment on the matter, saying that she is travelling.
