Ulla Järvi is a Finnish health journalist who has worked for the Finnish Medical Journal since 2000. She has authored several books on topics related to women's health issues. This document discusses the changing role of health journalism and science journalism. It notes that society has become more medialized, journalism has become more personalized, and the role of the internet has increased and changed traditional power relations. Health is increasingly viewed as the most important personal value by Finns, influenced by increased health news coverage. However, health journalism remains understudied. The document questions whether all knowledge is equally valuable and explores tensions between experts and media.

1. Healthy or s
The pros an
ick?
d cons in he
alth journal
Tallinn 11.6 ism
.2012

2. 0 Suomen Lääkärilehti (Finnish
Ulla Järvi Medical Journal) since 2000
- who?
Books:
0 Syntymätön –Tietoa ja kokemuksia
keskenmenosta, Kirjapaja 2007
0 Nainen keskellä elämää
(Vainikainen&Järvi), Otava 2008,
0 Hilmapäivät – Vertaistukea
vaihdevuosiin (Riitta Väisänen
&Järvi&LeaGeselle),Otava 2009
0 Asiantuntijan mukaan– Viestintäopas
media-ajan asiantuntijoille
(Järvi&Vainikainen), Enostone 2010
0 Media terveyden lähteillä
– Miten sairaus ja terveys rakentuvat
2000-luvun mediassa
(Health sources and Media forces)
- Doctoral dissertation, JKL univ, 2011

3. Health journalism – Science
0 Research result 0 Enlightment

4. Health journalism - News
0 Desease reporting: ”The 0 Health policy news:
first swine flu death in ”There are more doctors
Finland” now”

5. Science journalism – Stories
0 My story 0 Ordinary people as an excample

6. Journalism is changing
0 Society has medialized; more
often things has turned to be
media related
0 Journalism has personalised;
even journalist can be a
brand
0 Science and health – more
often question of economy
0 The role of internet has
”Doctor offers common sense”
streghtened, which has (The country doctor Tapio
changed the old power Kiminkinen has become very
popular tv-star and lecturer)
relations

7. All knowledge
– as valuable?
0 Scientist makes research,
public make comments
0 Experts: Journalists want
more often opions, scientific
facts are not enough
”Is anybody home?” 0 Experts: Social media and
– Scientists has found
marks of potential life in conversation groups limit the
Mars. Newspaper asks
from citizens if they
will to speak to media
believe on these results (vihapuhe = hate speech)

8. ”The lively relationship with readers…”
”It was a totally surprise – ”More often a doctor hangs
The false of the fake doctor” on a drug hook”
• Media live for facts, BUT dry facts need nourishing:
story telling, entertainment, hard feelings
• Media has faced the competition of people´s time – we
all are more strict what comes to our own time

9. My health– the most important value
0 Personal health has become the most important
value to Finnish people (Tampere uni, research
2007)
0 One possible reason: healt news has increased
0 Actually we don´t know, because health journalism
is understudied; but at least life style stories has
increased
0 Media do not create values, rather try to shows
them
0 Media is the ”Public Sphere” and with this task
comes the response of value maker

10. Media shows US
0 WE live health and right
way, so we can wait for
prices, which don´t belong
to the OTHERS
0 WE can´t be pursued to live
in certain ways, but
somehow WE know the
right lifestyle
0 The OTHERS, who they
are? - Heavy drinking
oldies /pregnant mothers, ”Excersice and food are the new
teenagers, marks of Finnish social class ”
unemployments…

11. Risk persons –the risk for Economy
0 Health journalism is full of
threathful rethoric: ”If we
don´t do anything, Finland ”Too fat for work”
collapse because of
overweight oldies”
0 The threath to Economy
gives the rights to strict
laws and orders
0 Pre-diseases: pre-diabets,
presenteism
0 Who got the benefit?

12. ”A Human Body is not ßa part of the Production or a nest of
the Sickness, but the home of Human Being.”
Ihmisen ruumis ei ole tuotantoelämän ratas eikä sairauden pesä, vaan
ihmisen koti.
(Filosofer Jaana Hallamaa 2004)