Extremist speech online and in the Finnish news media

Violence is also endorsed in Finnish-language online discussions

In recent years, several Western countries have expressed concern over the increasing volume of online extremist content that seeks to dehumanise other people and justify the use of violence. This type of speech has been produced and distributed especially by political and religious extremists and their supporters. The increasing volume of extremist content online is believed to facilitate radicalisation into violent extremism. There are also fears that extremist views may become normalised and mainstream over time.

This research project investigated the presence and manifestations of extremist ideologies in the Finnish-language media environment. The topic was examined from two perspectives:
1) What kind of violence-endorsing and dehumanising content is present in the Finnish-language online environment, especially content that is linked to broader political ideologies?
2) How have violent extremist activism and ideologies been covered in the Finnish-language national news media?
This policy brief presents the key findings of the project.

• Ekstremistinen puhe verkossa ja uutismediassa

  (23.03.2021)