Finland: Journalist Ida Erämaa Bombarded With Rape Threats Following Right-Wing Smear Campaign

Threats
Written By

The Coalition For Women In Journalism highly condemns targeted online harassment by right-wing politicians discrediting the journalist 

Location: Finland, Helsinki
Date: July 2, 2023

Iltalehti’s Ida Erämaa harassed online by right-wing politicians after criticizing their attempts to curtail reporting on their extreme right connections. The Coalition For Women In Journalism is appalled by the behavior of Finnish politicians whose attempts to smear Erämaa were frequently sexist. Online smear campaigns targeting journalists aim to damage their reputations and destroy the public’s trust in their reporting. We call on members of the Finnish Parliament to cease harassment of critical journalists and respect press freedom.

 
 
 
 

On 2 July 2023, Finnish Parliament members from the ruling right-wing Finns Party (PS) - Wille Rydman, Sebastian Tynkkynen, Onni Rostila, and Tere Sammallahti of the National Coalition (KOK) - launched a targeted online smear campaign against Iltalehti journalist Ida Erämaa. 

The online harassment campaign gained significant attention on social media, with thousands of reactions, including threats of sexual violence and derogatory comments against Erämaa. 

The harassment campaign was in response to Erämaa's article on the Finns Party’s attempt to hide their MPs' affiliations to racist, far-right, and neo-Nazi rhetoric and conspiracies.

Finns Party MP Sebastian Tynkkynen referred to Erämaa as a "worst-class intersectional green bastard who also makes a lifestyle as a make-up influencer" in one of his tweets. The politician has over 40 thousand followers on Twitter. 

Erämaa also discussed the recent neo-Nazi scandal involving Minister of Economic Affairs Vilhelm Junnila on her TikTok profile.

Wille Rydman, also a Finns Party MP,  shared screenshots of Erämaa's TikTok video, questioning her professionalism as a journalist. 

Newly elected MPs, Finns Party’s Onni Rostila and National Coalition Party’s Tere Sammallahti accused Erämaa of bias, spreading rumors, and labeling her a “leftist activist."  

Finnish journalist organizations condemned the harassment and called on politicians from the Finns Party and the coalition to respect press freedom and editorial independence.

Despite public backlash, the MPs defended their actions, claiming it was justified criticism and not a violation of press freedom. 

Prime Minister Petteri Orpo expressed concern about the confrontational atmosphere but did not denounce the online harassment. Jani Mäkelä, chairman of the Finns Party, accused Erämaa of promoting her political agenda and justified the MPs' actions as legitimate criticism.

Fellow journalists and press freedom advocates rallied in support of Erämaa, condemning the smear campaign as an attempt to intimidate and silence critical journalists.

Finland's new four-party coalition government, formed in June 2023, is led by conservative leader Petteri Orpo and includes the far-right Finns Party. The new government plans to cut spending, reduce immigration, and tighten citizenship rules. Analysts have labeled this government as potentially the most rightwing administration in Finland's history.

Online Trolling of women journalists

Women journalists are frequently the target of attacks online, typically marred in sexism and misogyny and often coming from right-wing political actors. 

CFWIJ documented a calculated and organized attempt to slander and discredit women journalists, particularly women of color, who reported on far-right parties in Canada in 2021.

In 2023, we reported concerted attempts to smear the reputations of women journalists in Ireland, Ukraine, Georgia, and China.

Finland enjoys a reputation as a world leader in press freedom. CFWIJ is deeply concerned that newly elected members of parliament are undermining this. The condescending, misogynistic tone of politicians commenting on Ida Erämaa on social media is not a valid criticism of a journalist but a personal attack. The Coalition For Women In Journalism urges all Finnish MPs to refrain from smearing journalists online and to respect the press’ right to report. 

 

The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.

If you have been harassed or abused in any way, and please report the incident by using the following form.

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