Olli Ruohomäki, an expert who visited the last word program, estimates that reporting on the war in Gaza is difficult due to historical layers.
Writing about the war in Gaza is difficult for many Finnish journalists, according to experienced foreign journalists.
The war in Gaza, which started last October, has also been closely followed in Finland. acting director of Helsingin Sanomat’s foreign affairs department foreperson Jukka Huusko evaluates in the program “Last word” that attempts to influence the news can even be called pressure.
– Over the years, many experienced journalists have said that this Israel-Palestine conflict is one that they don’t want to write about anymore, says Huusko.
– There will be quite a lot of feedback with quite a lot of emotion, he describes the feedback received by journalists.
According to him, both parties have their strong supporters, from whom you can sometimes also get useful tips for reporting. However, the feedback can get personal, it guesses the editor’s own views and it may be spread more widely on social media.
– It is easier to write about the war between Russia and Ukraine, which also divides people.
Head of MTV Uutinen’s foreign distribution Mirja Kivimäki also compares the feedback from the war in Gaza with the coverage of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine.
– The Finns have a pretty uniform understanding of that. Because of that, we are able to do things about Ukraine more freely without being afraid of this [painostusta].
According to Kivimäki, many feedback providers require the journalist to choose a side in the conflict, which according to him is not part of the journalist’s duties.
Reporting on the war in Gaza may be difficult because the conflicts in the region have long historical roots. The discussion often starts with last October, when the terrorist organization Hamas attacked Israel.
The other party may justify their own actions with history.
– Let’s go into that fog of history, from which there will be views from both sides, says the visiting expert Olli Ruohomäki from the Foreign Policy Institute and estimates that the argument will eventually become an endless cycle.