In the November Forum Talk, Digital Producer Sarita Blomqvist and Product Development Specialist Sami Liljeblad from the Finnish broadcasting company Yle talked about the Well Said project (https://yle.fi/aihe/hyvin-sanottu). You can watch the video of the talk here: https://youtu.be/o_LUQuPWxLs
The project stems from the same widely shared concern that has been the motivation for several other projects presented in the Forum Talks as well: the recognition that the public discussion culture has become increasingly aggressive, and therefore a large part of the people feel unsafe to take part in the conversations. The Well Said project brings together over 150 partners, organizations ranging from the Office of the President to NGO’s to local sports clubs. Thus the project works not only in the realm of media and journalism, but also on the more general level of organizing encounters and opportunities for diverse discussions.
Yle also produces an array of media content related to the project, such as journalistic stories, podcasts and blog posts. The project will run from 2021 to 2026, and it is continuously finding new forms based on the collaborations with the partners, and also on the new research shedding light on the needs and concerns of the people in Finland. Thus, Well Said can be seen as a wide umbrella that seeks to listen to the diverse voices in the Finnish society and give support to the challenges of public discussion where it is needed.