DISINFO: A new Union of Journalists for "independent media" established in Finland
DISINFORMATION CASE DETAILS
  • Outlet: mv-lehti.net (archived)*
  • Date of publication: December 17, 2019
  • Outlet language(s): Finnish
  • Reported in: Issue 177
  • Countries / regions discussed: Finland
Tags:
Media

DISINFO: A new Union of Journalists for "independent media" established in Finland

SUMMARY

A new Union of Journalists for alternative – a better description would be independent– media established in Finland.

RESPONSE

The context: The actual Union of Journalists in Finland (UJF), www.journalistiliitto.fi, , has nearly 15 000 members who work for the print media, broadcasting, publishing and new communications media. It is an independent trade union that negotiates collective bargaining agreements. It works to further the financial, social and professional standing of its members, both salaried and freelancers. The union does not belong to but cooperates with trade union confederations. The copycat NGO has been registered officially within the Finnish Register of Associations in 2016 with the name "Suomen vapaa sana riippumaton toimittajayhdistys ry". However, this Union imitates the UJF URL address (www.journalistiliitto.com), . Vice-chair of the copycat organisation is also MV-lehti's editor-in-chief, a Finn who resided for years in occupied Donetsk and ran a propaganda media operation there. In the "About" section of the website the war in Ukraine is described as a "civil war", which is recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation. See the archived version of the web page here. Twitter has suspended the account of the copycat organisation. Further background by journalist Laura Halminen and more on an earlier similar operation targeting the Helsinki Hybrid CoE.

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Cases in the EUvsDisinfo database focus on messages in the international information space that are identified as providing a partial, distorted, or false depiction of reality and spread key pro-Kremlin messages. This does not necessarily imply, however, that a given outlet is linked to the Kremlin or editorially pro-Kremlin, or that it has intentionally sought to disinform. EUvsDisinfo publications do not represent an official EU position, as the information and opinions expressed are based on media reporting and analysis of the East Stratcom Task Force.

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