The purpose of the study is to compare the way Finnish media dealt with two, in many ways similar school massacres. The starting point is a study conducted in 2008 on the media’s treatment of the Jokela school massacre. The new study will pay special attention to the issues of journalistic ethics and practices that emerged from the Jokela study.
In the research concerning the news reporting of events in Jokela (‘The Jokela massacre in the media’), special attention was paid to the journalistic activity in the vicinity of the scene of the crime, the interviews with eyewitnesses and other concerned parties, the organisation of the newsrooms’ work, and in particular, to the role of the Internet, decisions on publishing, the assessment of causes and guilt, as well as the role of media in national mourning. In the Jokela case, the scarcity of official information was thought to be a major problem. It was also partly responsible for the problems that arose between victims and their relatives on one hand and journalists on the other.
The research data comprises the content of national mass media and of local newspapers around Kauhajoki, as well as interviews with journalists and officials. Special attention will be paid to the problem areas emerging from the Jokela study and to the observations about the actions of journalistic organisations. Particular attention will be paid to actions taken during the first twenty-four hours, including decisions to publish, and in this connection especially to the role of Internet publishing.
Contact person:
Pentti Raittila
Tel. +358 400 615 212
Email: pentti.raittila@uta.fi
University of Tampere, Journalism Research and Development Centre
Partner: Helsingin Sanomat Foundation
Publications in English
Pentti Raittila, Kari Koljonen ja Jari Väliverronen, Journalism and School Shootings in Finland 2007-2008
Tampere University Press 2010.
ISBN 978-951-44-8227-4
Sales: Bookshop TAJU, P.O. Box 617, FIN-33014 University of Tampere, Finland
tel. ?358 40 190 9800 , Fax +358 3 3551 7685 taju@uta.fi, http://granum.uta.fi
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