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The Transnistrian War as depicted in Finland’s largest newspaper, “Helsingin Sanomat” (1992)

This article examines how the Transnistrian War was depicted in the mass media of a nation with longstanding links to both the West and the East that committed to the Helsinki Convention of 1975 in terms of sovereignty and human rights. How much attention was paid to what appeared to be an isolated conflict in Transnistria in light of the development of Europe and the world after 1989? To address this topic, I turned to Finland’s largest newspaper, which reflects and affects public opinion. We hypothesized that (1) the Transnistrian War received minimal public attention under the aforementioned circumstances and (2) information regarding the war came almost entirely from Moscow (due to Cold War-era contacts between the Soviet Union and Finland) and Bucharest. In fact, according to quantitative analysis, the most popular newspaper in Finland showed a constant interest in the Dniester War, and the reports reached a large readership. The war created awareness which decreased after it ended and the frozen conflict began. Essential articles were either written by Finnish journalists with expertise in the Eastern area or by specialists and journalists residing overseas. They covered the war from a broader diachronic and regional viewpoint and were very perceptive about its origins, evolutions, and effects. Qualitative analysis demonstrated the broad range of actors, developments, and perspectives addressed by the Helsingin Sanomat. The viewpoints of the decision makers in Moscow, Chisinau, Tiraspol, Bucharest, and Kyiv were carefully observed and faithfully duplicated, and the policies of the different parties involved in the conflict, as well as their adaptations and adjustments, were identified and reported to the public with great insight.

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OpenEdition suggests that you cite this post as follows:
Silviu Miloiu (February 11, 2023). The Transnistrian War as depicted in Finland’s largest newspaper, “Helsingin Sanomat” (1992). Silviu Miloiu. Retrieved February 7, 2025 from https://silviumiloiu.hypotheses.org/1990


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