Information around the world has become increasingly decentralised, making it easier than even to disseminate it. Consequently, the risks of increased decentralisation have become apparent; the ease of disseminating false information online has allowed fake news to become a dominant force in the public debate. The endemic nature of fake news is a difficult phenomenon to tackle, but the need to address is clear. The consequences of inadequate and unchecked efforts to counter the spread of fake news have been dire, the January 6th Capitol riots is a notable case in point. One country – Finland – is leading the efforts to ensure its society is protected from the nefarious impacts of misinformation. Understanding how Finland is taking on misinformation could hold the key for other countries around the world facing similar problems.
Education and media literacy
Finland ranks first on the media literacy index, an annual ranking of 35 European countries measuring their ability to withstand the negative impacts of misinformation and fake news. A significant reason for this high ranking is because of their education system which equips Finns with the tools to critically evaluate information and accurately deem whether it is factual or not. These skills start a very young age, from preschool. Media literacy lessons have been a part of the national curriculum since 2016 and it is intertwined in many of the subjects taught to students; children learn about the ease of manipulating statistics in maths lessons; in history notable propaganda campaigns of the past are studied while in art, students are taught about image manipulation. While misinformation is a complex topic, Jussi Toivanen, the Chief Communications Specialist for the Finnish Prime Minister’s Office emphasises the importance of teaching children these skills at a young age, asserting that “the first line of defence is the kindergarten teacher.”
Finland more broadly, has an education system that is driven by educational outcomes as opposed to profits. This may lie at the heart of its success in topping so many education indicators, including media literacy. Education is a cornerstone of Finnish society – it is a constitutional right and mandatory till age 18. There are no private schools or private educational institutions, meaning all educational services are publicly funded and free of charge, including universities. This commitment to accessibility ensures that every child, no matter their background is able to have the same opportunity to learn. This focus – beginning in the 1980s – meant everyone had a stake to see that education was well-funded with high-quality programs were implemented. At the end of the day, it did not matter whether you were born into privilege or poverty – the type of school you attended and the quality of education you received would be identical.
Additionally, teaching is a highly respected profession and very difficult to enter. In 2016, the acceptance rate for the postgraduate teaching program (6.8%) was lower than the acceptance rate for both medicine (7.3%) and law (8.3%) at the University of Helsinki. Teachers are also encouraged to do whatever it takes to see improvements in each student’s learning.
We can contrast the Finnish education system to the exorbitant costs of tertiary education, accessibility constraints on high quality primary and secondary education, and the relative lack of rigour to become an educator in other parts of the world such as the United States. When doing so, we can begin to understand why Finland is so far ahead of other developed countries in tackling misinformation.
Elsewhere, the importance of media literacy is also being realised. In Long Island, New York, the Baldwin School District have implemented a news literacy program that has adapted university courses to suit middle school and high school students. Howard Schneider, the Dean of SBU School of Journalism reinforces the importance of teaching students at an earlier age arguing that, “we were convinced that it was way too late to begin this instruction when students are 18 and 19.”
It may not be so easy
Despite Finland’s success, perhaps there is something more inherent and ingrained within its society that has allowed it to effectively tackle misinformation? The Nordic country not only tops the ranking on media literacy, it is also among the happiest, most equal, educated and developed countries in the world. It also suffers from low-income inequality and crime. The lack of any obvious social fissures makes it difficult for misinformation to exploit and weaponize issues. Citizens are well protected from misinformation because it lacks the foothold required to spread throughout epistemological networks in the first place.
However, this same social cohesion is not necessarily replicated in other parts of the world. Certainly, the UK’s decision to leave the European Union in 2016 was fuelled by misinformation that exploited British concerns regarding immigration, national security and trade. Misinformation thrives on these social cleavages to fit in. Within the United States, there has been a rise in Sino-scepticism over the last four years, fuelled in large part due to the Trump administration. The former President’s insistence that the COVID-19 was intentionally made in a Chinese lab gave it institutional legitimacy. This led to a rise in xenophobic and racist attacks against Asian minority groups. These sentiments did not magically appear – they were a development of attitudes that were bubbling for a long time, energised by the Trump Administration and came to a head during the pandemic in 2020.
If misinformation can be so ingrained to the extent that it can even carry institutional legitimacy, how could we ever succeed in countering misinformation?
A universal struggle
Returning to the Finnish case, we may be able to find solace. Despite their success, Toivanen admits that countering misinformation doesn’t simply end after achieving some success. “This is an ongoing game,” he says. While Finnish society may possess qualities that has made it predisposed to more effectively tackle misinformation, Toivanen’s admission that as technology improves, the fight against misinformation will inevitably become more difficult, means that there is a constant struggle to improve policies and methods.
This is a struggle that resonates beyond Finnish borders.
Bibliography
Daly, Christina. 2020. “Baldwin School District earns $30K news literacy grant.” Long Island Herald, 2020.
Henley, Jon. 2020. “How Finland starts its fight against fake news in primary schools.” The Guardian, 2020.
Mackintosh, Eliza. 2019. “Finland is winning the war on fake news. What it’s learned may be crucial to Western democracy.” CNN, 2019.
Muhonen, Sari. 2017. “TEACHER VOICE: In Finland, it’s easier to become a doctor or lawyer than a teacher — Here’s why.” The Hechinger Report, 2017.
Partanen, Anu. 2011. “What Americans Keep Ignoring About Finland’s School Success.” The Atlantic, 2011.
Toivanen, Jussi. 2019. “Success in Finland: what we have learned ” In “Global Media Literacy Summit 2019.” Google News Initiative.
