Media and the Information Environment: There is No Such Thing as Nordic Exceptionalism

Abstract

Finland has often been portrayed in the international press as a pioneering information society and a forerunner in the fight against disinformation. International comparisons indicate that Finns, as well as the citizens of other Nordic countries, have relatively high trust in the news media. Still, the resilience of the Finnish information environment should not be overestimated, as many of the challenges are transnational by nature and the Finns have not yet been thoroughly tested. This chapter provides an overview of the Finnish mediasphere as well as an introduction to new threats such as geopolitical pressure, formation of radical right-wing media ecosystem, and conspiracy theories pushing for mainstream.