October 9, 2026 (12:10-18:00)

University of Helsinki, Main Building, Hall F3017 or remotely at https://video.helsinki.fi/unitube/live-stream.html?room=l73.

Deadline: September 30, 2026

The Russian invasion of Ukraine, Finland's accession to NATO, and wider shifts in the international order have transformed public debate, journalism, and media representations of security, identity, and geopolitics. How do these changes reshape journalistic practices, public narratives, and understandings of the world around us? The symposium brings together researchers studying the changing relationship between media, war, security, and geopolitical imaginaries.

The event presents key findings from three research projects funded by the Helsingin Sanomat Foundation's special call "War Became the Topic: What Is the Role of the Media?"

The research projects are:

• Forces of Change in War Journalism: Open Source Intelligence, Information Warfare, and Patriotic Pressure by Joonas Koivukoski & Markus Ojala (PI) (University of Helsinki)
  
• Imagined West: Occidentalist Narratives in Finnish News Media in the Context of the War in Ukraine by Jukka Jouhki (PI), Jere Kyyrö & Suvi Mononen (Tampere University)
  
• Journalism, Media and the New Security Challenge: The Securitization of the Eastern Border in Media Debate Marko Ampuja, Mervi Pantti (PI), Nuppu Pelevina & Erjon Sjenderi (University of Helsinki)
  

Programme

12:10-12:15 Welcome

12:15-13:00 Keynote: Antal Wozniak (University of Manchester)

13:00-14:00 Presentations associated with the Imagined West project: Jukka Jouhki & Jere Kyyrö (Tampere University), Kiryl Kascian (Vilnius University), Elise Kraatila (Tampere University), Sisanda Nkoala & Doniquah Allies (University of the Western Cape), Vladyslav Vodko (Odessa I. I. Mechnikov National University) and Stanislav Hrabovetskyi (University of Vienna), Matti Puranen (Finnish National Defence University).

14:00-14:20 Coffee break

14:20-15:20 Presentations associated with the projects Forces of Change in War Journalism: Markus Ojala (University of Helsinki), and Journalism, Media and New Security Challenges: Mervi Pantti & Risto Kunelius (University of Helsinki).

15:20-15:40 Coffee break

15:40-16:40 Panel discussion: Noora Kotilainen (University of Helsinki), Ville Similä (Helsingin Sanomat), Antal Wozniak (University of Manchester), Johanna Vuorelma (Tampere University).

16:40-16:50 Final words

17:00-18:00 Finger food & refreshments

Register by 30 September here.