Participation has become a central notion in journalism. The trend has been intensified due to the possibilities of online interaction, but collaboration with citizens has been part of journalism practices for quite some time, for example in public journalism initiatives.

This book discusses practices of public journalism in three Finnish newspapers: Helsingin Sanomat (national), Aamulehti (regional) and Itä-Häme (local). The research is based on journalists’ interviews and analysis of news stories. The study scrutinizes public journalism in a way that deconstructs both parts of the concepts: “public” and “journalism”. Therefore, it draws from theories of the public sphere and professionalism.

Readers interested in journalism and democracy will find this book a useful reference. It contributes to our knowledge of public journalism in the Finnish national context but also comparatively to international forms of democracy-supporting journalism. The conclusions point towards participatory elements that might persist and evolve in the online environment.