Our alum Tuija Siltamäki: A journalist’s key tools are a broad education and critical thinking
Tuija Siltamäki's career so far has included interesting journalistic posts at Yle, the Helsingin Sanomat and Aamulehti newspapers and the late University of Tampere student magazine Aviisi. Before becoming a full-time freelancer, Tuija was Editor-in-Chief of the Ylioppilaslehti student magazine for two years.
“I am a somewhat determined and ambitious person, as I want to develop, learn and get better at my work. But I have never wanted or planned to climb up the ladder and reach a certain position in a certain organisation,” Tuija says.
I am a somewhat determined and ambitious person, as I want to develop, learn and get better at my work. But I have never wanted or planned to climb up the ladder and reach a certain position in a certain organisation."
Tuija Siltamäki
One of the perks about working as a journalist is variety, which suits Tuija’s curious nature. The work exposes you to subject areas you would not otherwise come across.
“I once did an article for the HS Teema magazine about painter Hugo Simberg's daughter, Uhra-Beata Simberg-Ehrström, who was an esteemed wall rug artist. I hadn't really given much thought to wall rugs before, but when I immersed myself in the subject for several days, they suddenly seemed really cool to me and I found myself talking about them to everyone I met. The same happened when I did an article on architect Eliel Saarinen's Helsinki,” Tuija says.
Working as a freelancer allows Tuija to also work on other projects alongside journalism. For example, she has written essay collections together with Jyrki Lehtola and studied substance abuse on grant funding.
Journalists are not activists
Tuija finds many systemic sources of frustration in the transformation of journalism and its side effects. However, she urges budding journalists to filter out the negativity and stick to what they aspire to do. In her view, there has never been a time when journalists have not criticised the direction in which their industry is headed. Criticism is part of the job description, which essentially involves an interest in social affairs and social injustice.
What she is concerned about, however, is the narrowing of journalistic content.
“When there is too strong an ambition to maximise the clarity and profitability of journalism, we are at risk of focusing too much on trivial issues. This poses a risk of overemphasising lifestyle content and diminishing our world views,” Tuija states.
When there is too strong an ambition to maximise the clarity and profitability of journalism, we are at risk of focusing too much on trivial issues. This poses a risk of overemphasising lifestyle content and diminishing our world views."
Tuija Siltamäki
Many of Tuija's articles deal with deep social issues. She has covered topics such as the pension system, substance abuse, homelessness and the inadequacy of social services.
“The situation of people living on the margins is under-reported in Finland. I find it important that we discuss these issues more,” Tuija says.
In her view, excessive mission thinking is detrimental to journalists, however. One should distinguish between professional journalism and promoting one's own interests.
“We are journalists, not activists.”
Finding your own field felt exhilarating
Tuija says that she has always enjoyed writing, but becoming a journalist was not self-evident. The idea of pursuing a journalist’s career and applying to Tampere University came to her while studying journalism at Lahti Folk High School in her home region.
“Reading the entrance exam books for the university was an intoxicating experience. It really got me excited. I felt that the subject was what I had always been interested in, but I just hadn't known it before. I was admitted, moved to Tampere and started to enjoy myself. I fell in love with Tampere while living there, it became my second hometown,” Tuija recounts.
Reading the entrance exam books for the university was an intoxicating experience. It really got me excited. I felt that the subject was what I had always been interested in, but I just hadn't known it before. I was admitted, moved to Tampere and started to enjoy myself. I fell in love with Tampere while living there, it became my second hometown."
Tuija Siltamäki
Journalism and communication studies included practical courses, which Tuija found valuable given the nature of the field. What she emphasises even more, however, is broad education. For her, the key takeaways from the studies were the ability to think critically, master large data sets and discern the essential.
“Sirkka Wahlstén's journalistic language courses were also very important. They helped us hone our Finnish language skills and weed out difficult language,” Tuija says.
Tuija thinks back on her student years as a fun period. It was inspiring to meet lots of great people who were interested in the same things. They were swept along by Vostok, the student organisation for journalism students, they wrote articles for the Gonzo magazine and had fun together on their nights out at Doris and Klubi nightclubs. A nice added bonus is that Tuija has later found good coworkers and colleagues among the same group of people – even though friendship always takes precedence over work.
“Student years were also great because I had taken school very seriously until then. At university, no one cared – in a good way – what marks I got on my exams or whether I even showed up for lectures. You had to figure out for yourself what you were interested in and what you wanted to focus on. It was really liberating to be also able to waste time and do stupid things. That's all part of youth, and that's something to be enjoyed. You’ll have time to stress later.”
Who?
Name: Tuija Siltamäki
Degree and major: Master of Social Sciences, Journalism and Mass Communication
Graduation year: 2020
Current work: freelance journalist
Student organisations: Vostok ry
Text: Tiina Leivo