Since 1932, the readers of the Finnish newspaper Ilta-Sanomat have had access to breaking news and in-depth reporting. Ilta-Sanomat has emerged as one of Finland’s most widely read news outlets thanks to its emphasis on digital innovation and high-caliber writing. We shall examine the background, significance, and innovations of Ilta-Sanomat in this blog.
Ilta-Sanomat’s past
Sanoma Corporation established Ilta-Sanomat as an evening newspaper in 1932. Its initial name was “Ilta-Sanomat ja Urheilulehti” (Evening News and Sports Magazine), but the sports section later formed its own journal and was given the name “Urheilulehti.” Ilta-Sanomat was the only evening newspaper in Helsinki that carried on publishing during World War II despite the bombings. In Ilta-Sanomat started publishing every day in 1945.
One of the earliest Finnish newspapers to use digital media was Ilta-Sanomat. In 1994, it debuted its first website, and in 1999, it became the first newspaper in Finland to provide a mobile version of that website. Ilta-Sanomat is currently one of Finland’s most well-liked news websites, with over 2.4 million daily readers.
Ilta-Sanomat’s effects
Ilta-Sanomat is renowned for its excellent journalism, which has brought them recognition and a number of honours throughout the years. Both the Grand One Award for best mobile service in 2012 and the Finnish Press Award for best online journalism in 2010 went to this publication. At the World Digital Media Awards in 2014, it was given the Best Use of Mobile award.
One Ilta-Sanomat’s coverage of breaking news has one of the biggest effects. The newspaper has a reputation for providing readers with up-to-the-minute information quickly and accurately, which has helped it develop a devoted readership. In addition, Ilta-Sanomat was a pioneer in the use of social media for news reporting, with journalists frequently breaking news on Twitter and other social media sites before it was posted on the newspaper’s website.
Through its investigative journalism, Ilta-Sanomat has also had a considerable impact on Finnish society. It revealed a high-level corruption scandal between the Finnish government and the state-owned gaming corporation Veikkaus in 2015 through a series of stories. The CEO resigned as a result of the publications.
Improvements made by Ilta-Sanomat
Ilta-Sanomat has a reputation for using technology in novel ways to communicate with readers and provide news. Its use of artificial intelligence (AI) to customise the news for individual users is one of its most notable innovations. News stories are sent to readers according to their interests and reading preferences using Ilta-Sanomat’s AI-powered “personal newsfeed”.
A pioneer in the use of virtual reality (VR) in journalism is Ilta-Sanomat. It debuted a compelling virtual reality (VR) experience in 2017 that let users examine the scene of a fatal train disaster in Finland. The VR experience gave readers an original viewpoint on the tragedy and made it easier for them to comprehend how the catastrophe affected the victims and their relatives.
Ilta-Sanomat also embraced contemporary storytelling techniques like podcasting and video. With over 150,000 weekly listeners, its news podcast “Uutisraportti” (News Report) is among the most well-liked news podcasts in Finland. The video crew of Ilta-Sanomat creates excellent video content, including as news stories.