Finnish Grand Prize for Journalism Winners

Winners of the Finnish Grand Prize for Journalism.

At a ceremony in Helsinki, the winners of the Finnish Grand Prize for Journalism were announced.

The Finnish Grand Prize for Journalism has been awarded since 2001. The prize supports and highlights excellent journalism and is given out in four catogories for meaningful journalism efforts for the previous year. The winners and the jury’s rationale for each prize are:

Journalistic Article/Episode of the Year

“Serious Neglect in Kuppis.” Rebekka Härkönen, Turun Sanomat
Rebekka Härkönen’s reporting revealed how patients in Turku city’s psychiatric wards were medicated to the point of unconciousness, forced into long-term isolation, humiliated, threatened and abused. The article also described how the neglect continued even after the hospital’s own internal investigation, since the city hadn’t reported the problems to the appropriate authorities. Härkönen’s article has improved patient safety in the entire country, and improved the supervision authority’s operations.

Journalistic Achievement of the Year

“Kotimaan katsaus” (domestic sweep), Jani Halme
Jani Halme has published the video series “Kotimaan katsaus” (domestic sweep) on his Twitter account since October. The videos are of Halme, who works as an art director at a communications agency, reads aloud from Finnish local papers. To do this, he receives 163 newspapers, which are nearly all the local papers in Finland. The goal of the porject is to remind people of the rich content local papers offer, as well as to break up information bubbles and lessen the conflicts between Helsinki and smaller cities, towns and rural areas. Some 200,000 follow him.

Book of the Year

Katarina Baer: He olivat natseja (they were Nazis), publisher Teos
Would you be carried away by the tenor of the times, an era where selective truths and hard partisan propaganda hold sway for years? It’s hard to understand our grandparents’ world view and actions, but you must build your own life despite the ghosts of the past. A work based on careful research, personal experience and asks difficult questions.

 Journalist of the Year

Lauria Saarikoski, Helsingin Sanomat
Laura Saarikoski’s articles kept the Finnish public particularly entertained during the U.S. presidential election. She reported insightfully with both expert analysis and on the average American’s feelings. Saarikoski saw early the strength of the Trump phenomenon and could sort out the underlying causes. The book she wrote together with Saska Saarikoski painted a comprehensive portrait of the businessman Donald Turmp, whose election win many thought was impossible.

The Finnish Grand Prize for Journalism was founded by Bonnier in 2001 and has been given out annually since then. All the awards are worth EUR 7,500. Jury members recuse themselves from judging nominees from their own media.

Jury