There is a sense of déjà vu as the municipal elections in Finland near on April 18. Once again, the media is not questioning or challenging the toxic message of the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* party, but showing its usual tacit approval.
The most notable examples of this type of approval demonstrated by the media are silence and inaction.
As Muslim activist Julie Pascoet stated, silence is not only a political statement but perpetuating white privilege and inequality. .
State-owned news outlets like Yle continue fueling the PS stranglehold on the country by stating that they will make significant gains in the municipal elections.
Opinion polls may indicate this to be the case, but where is the critical journalism?
How do you explain a party that bases its popularity on anti-immigration soundbites and rhetoric in a municipal election, which does not make immigration policy decisions?
One matter that reveals the popularity of an openly racist party is that there is a lot of air in the PS as well as racism is deeply rooted in Finnish society. It shows that we have done too little to challenge such social ills.
The other issue is that newsrooms and the halls of power in this country chronically lacks is diveristy.
How could a white news editor or editor comprehend racism if they have never suffered such denigrating treatment? The situation leads to what we are seeing now in Finland: Denial and attaching little importance to social ills like racism and promoting social equality and equity.
Such a predicament has led us to the rise of an anti-immigration party that has polarized Finland and categorized people into us and them. It even led to the destruction of its main architect, Timo Soini, who thought he could control such toxic forces.
The Finnish media is still in the dark about the PS, even if the Islamophobic party alleges that it is treated unfairly by it.
It is all a campaign stunt by the PS, which has spread fake news about migrants for years.
