<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>This essay discusses the global context of public communication during COVID-19, as well as some specific lessons learned from public service media (PSM), specifically from the Finnish Broadcasting Company (Yleisradio, Yle). We address the role of PSM as a national information channel during crises and as a sustainable element in the media system, points to the need to understand its role beyond news and to develop new interactive alternatives to global platforms, and calls for PSM organisations to address its audience – not as consumers – but as people with needs for information, entertainment, learning and meaningful interactions.</p></abstract>

This essay discusses the global context of public communication during COVID-19, as well as some specific lessons learned from public service media (PSM), specifically from the Finnish Broadcasting Company (Yleisradio, Yle). We address the role of PSM as a national information channel during crises and as a sustainable element in the media system, points to the need to understand its role beyond news and to develop new interactive alternatives to global platforms, and calls for PSM organisations to address its audience – not as consumers – but as people with needs for information, entertainment, learning and meaningful interactions.

Pandemic and Public Service Media: Lessons from Finland

Baltic Screen Media Review

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

{"article-title":"Pandemic and Public Service Media: Lessons from Finland"}

This essay discusses the global context of public communication during COVID-19, as well as some specific lessons learned from public service media (PSM),...

Pandemic and Public Service Media: Lessons from Finland

Published Online: Dec 21, 2020

Page range: 18 - 28

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/bsmr-2020-0003

© 2020 Minna Aslama Horowitz et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.