Helsingin Sanomat

Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox newspaper Template:Lang, abbreviated HS and colloquially known as Template:Lang, is the largest subscription newspaper in Finland and the Nordic countries, owned by Sanoma. Except after certain holidays, it is published daily. Its name derives from that of the Finnish capital, Helsinki, where it is published. It is considered a newspaper of record for Finland.

History and profile

The paper was founded in 1889<ref name="Group2003">Template:Cite book</ref> as Päivälehti, when Finland was a Grand Duchy under the Tsar of Russia.<ref>Sanoma News: History Template:Webarchive</ref>

Political censorship by the Russian authorities, prompted by the paper's strong advocacy of greater Finnish freedoms and even outright independence, forced Päivälehti to often temporarily suspend publication, and finally to close permanently in 1904.<ref>Sanoma News: History Template:Webarchive</ref> Its proprietors re-opened the paper under its current name in 1905.<ref>Sanoma News: History Template:Webarchive</ref>

Founded as the organ of the Young Finnish Party, the paper has been politically independent and non-aligned since 1932.<ref name=Group2003/><ref name="Cook2001">Template:Cite book</ref> During the Cold War period Template:Lang was among the Finnish newspapers which were accused by the Soviet Union of being the instrument of US propaganda, and the Soviet Embassy in Helsinki frequently protested the editors of the paper.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Template:Lang has a long history as a family business, owned by the Erkko family.<ref>Helsingin Sanomat: Who? Aatos Erkko Template:Webarchive</ref> It is currently owned by the Sanoma media group which also owns Ilta-Sanomat.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The relationship between the owners of Template:Lang and Finland's government have sometimes been close. For instance, during the run-up to the Winter War, Eljas Erkko was at the same time the paper's publisher and Finland's foreign minister.

Template:Lang strongly advocated Finland joining the European Union in the run-up to the decision to do so in 1994. It has also openly expressed support for Finland's membership of NATO.<ref name=juho>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Mikael Pentikäinen was the editor-in-chief until May 2013 when he was fired from the post.<ref name=ylemay>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Riikka Venäläinen replaced him temporarily in the post.<ref name=ylemay/> After Riikka Venäläinen the post has been held by Kaius Niemi.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

After the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the newspaper established a Russian-language news website to cover the war. In May 2022, Russian authorities blocked access to the website of the newspaper.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On 5 April 2023, editor-in-chief Kaius Niemi was arrested for driving under the influence. He was fined in court and resigned from his post. Erja Yläjärvi became the new editor-in-chief in August.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Format

Template:Lang is published daily in Finnish in compact format with the exception of the days after public holidays when the paper does not appear. Subscriptions make up 97% of the newspaper's circulation.<ref name="levikintarkastus.fi"/> The front page is usually devoted to advertisements.

The newspaper was published in broadsheet format until 6 January 2013.<ref name=tabloid>Template:Cite news</ref>

The paper also has a monthly supplement named Kuukausiliite (Finnish for Monthly Supplement), and a weekly TV guide and entertainment-oriented supplement named Nyt (meaning Now in English). Between 1999 and 2012 there were also both Finnish and English-language online newspaper editions.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Content of Template:Lang can be accessed also through mobile devices.

Circulation and influence

The circulation of Template:Lang was 476,163 copies in 1993, making it the most read newspaper in Finland.<ref name=Cook2001/> In the period of 1995–96 the paper sold 470,600 copies.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Its circulation was 446,380 copies in 2001, making it the largest paper in the country.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> In 2008 the paper sold 412,421 on weekdays<ref name="levikintarkastus.fi">Finnish Audit Bureau of Circulations Statistics Template:Webarchive</ref> (a change of −1.8% from 2007) and 468,505 copies on Sundays (−1.3%). In 2011 the daily had a circulation of 365,994 copies, making it the most read paper in the country.<ref name=san/> The same year it was also the largest paper in terms of readership.<ref name=san>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Approximately 75% of households in the Helsinki metropolitan area subscribe to Template:Lang, and it functions as the region's local paper. Its total daily circulation is well over 400,000, or about 8% of Finland's total population, making it the biggest daily subscription newspaper in the Nordic countries. This reaches about 14% of all households in Finland.Template:Citation needed

The paper is a significant factor in Finnish society and in public opinion.<ref name=juho/> Pertti Klemola, a Finnish journalist and scholar, once called it a state authority, an institution with its own independent social and political will.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

In June 2009 the site was the sixth most popular Finnish website.<ref name="TNS2009">Template:Cite web</ref> In 2010 it was the seventh most visited website in Finland in 2010 and was visited by 1,236,527 people per week.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>