Youth magazine editor suspended over recreational drug article

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Saila-Mari Kohtala, editor of the Finnish youth-oriented free-distribution magazine V is not taking part in the production of the magazine "for the time being".
      The March issue of the magazine was withdrawn from disrtibution two weeks ago because of an article including interviews with drug users in a manner that was seen as "irresponsible" by Janne Kaijärvi, Editor-in Chief of Sanoma Kaupunkilehdet, a part of the SanomaWSOY Group, which publishes free-distribution publications.
     
A new version of the March issue was printed, without the article on recreational use of drugs.
      "Kohtala approved the content of the issue, and felt that the story would have been worthy of publication. We will now be discussing with Kohtala how great our differences of opinion are, and what possibilities there are to continue cooperation", Kaijärvi says.
      "Naturally, the responsibility is with the editor-in-chief, but we have agreed on a practice that key people are trusted."
      Kaijärvi estimates that the withdrawal of an entire issue and printing a new one cost the magazine "something in the tens of thousands of euros".
      Saila-Mari Kohtala is not commenting on the matter.
     
The recalled issue of V was distributed for a short time. Scanned PDF versions of the article that caused the recall are widely available on the Internet.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Free-distribution magazine pulls edition over drug-related article (2.2.2007)

Helsingin Sanomat