Bhuail uair na fírinne linn

Panu Höglund

Ag scríobh an méid seo dom tá nuacht as an ngnáth le léamh sna meáin Fhionlannacha. Roimhe seo, bhí cineál ceartaiseacht pholaitiúil chontrártha le haithint ar gach aon alt faoi antoiscigh na heite deise agus faoi na ‘gardaí sráide’, nó na bligeaird shráide ab fhearr a rá, a bhí in ainm is a bheith ‘ag cosaint ár gcuid ban is cailíní’ ar ‘bhagairt’ na dteifeach ón tSiria. Cé gur léir don duine dhall le fada nach raibh i gceist leis na ‘gardaí’ seo ach dronga maistíní agus seal maith ama caite i dtóin an phríosúin acu, ghlacadh na hiriseoirí i ndáiríre an leagan den scéal a bhí ag na bligeaird féin gan amhras ar bith a chur ann – is é sin nach raibh iontu ach aithreacha teaghlach agus iad buartha faoi shlándáil a gclainne.

D’imigh sin, áfach, agus tháinig seo: anois, tugann na hiriseoirí bligeard ar bhligeard, Nua-Naitsí ar Nua-Naitsí agus coirpeach ar choirpeach, agus iad ag tabhairt tuairisce ar na pleananna cinedhíothaithe a bhíos i mbéal gach uile dhuine sna dronga seo, chomh maith leis na hairm thine a ndéanann na hamhais seo gaisce astu. Cad é a chuir na meáin ar athchomhairle mar seo?

Is dócha gurbh é scéal Jessikka Aro é. Iriseoir í a scríobh tuairisc don chomhlacht náisiúnta craolacháin faoin dóigh a mbíonn claonbholscairí agus troill Rúiseacha ag iarraidh comhráite ar líne san Fhionlainn a chur as a riocht trí thuairimí réamhtháirgthe – ciníochas mar shampla – a stealladh ar fhóraim éagsúla diospóireachta. Ansin rinne na claonbholscairí céanna mórionsaí ar Aro, agus maslaí pearsanta éagsúla á gcaitheamh ina treo acu – d’fhéadfá a rá gur fíoraíodh a tuairisc féin go huile is go hiomlán, ach ba bheag an cuidiú di é, nó is léir go ndeachaigh an chlúmhillteoireacht seo go mór mór chun dochair di.

Bhí an lá le Jessikka Aro sa deireadh, áfach, nó bronnadh Duais Iriseoireachta na Fionlainne uirthi as an tuairisc faoi throllfheachtais, agus is dócha gurbh é an bronnadh seo a thug tuilleadh misnigh do lucht a ceirde. Mhothaigh iriseoirí na Fionlainne go raibh de chead acu an fhírinne a insint, rud atá le haithint ar na meáin go léir inniu. Ceist eile ar ndóigh cén fáth nár ghlac siad an misneach sin roimhe seo.

Scríbhneoir Gaeilge ón bhFionlainn é Panu Petteri Höglund.

The hour of truth is upon us

Panu Höglund

As I write this, the Finnish media are packed with news of an uncommon kind. Before, a sort of inverted political correctness could be perceived in every article about right-wing extremists and ‘street guards’, or rather blackguards who are trying to give an impression that they are ‘protecting our women and girls’ against the ‘threat’ of Syrian refugees. Although it has been obvious to everybody for a long time that these ‘guards’ are nothing but gangs of goons who have spent much of their lives behind bars, journalists have usually accepted the version of the story the blackguards themselves prefer – that they are just fathers concerned about their children’s personal security.

Things have changed since: now journalists call a blackguard a blackguard, a neo-Nazi a neo-Nazi and a criminal a criminal, disclosing the genocidal dreams that are the small talk of these gangs, as well as the firearms these goons are so proud of. What brought this change of heart?

Probably it was the story of Jessikka Aro. She is a journalist who fronted a report for the national broadcaster on how Russian trolls and spin doctors are trying to derail online discussions in Finland by spamming prefabricated opinions, such as racism, to all kinds of online forums. Said spin doctors attacked her big-time with personal insults; you’d say that her report was massively proven to be true, but that was little help, because the defamation campaign obviously damaged her greatly.

Jessikka Aro got the last laugh, though, because her report about these troll campaigns earned her the year’s Finnish journalism award, and this is probably what gave her colleagues the encouragement they needed. They felt that they could tell the truth, and this is what you see in all media now. It is of course a different question where their courage had been hiding before this.

Panu Petteri Höglund is a Finnish writer of Irish expression.