“Everyone in Finland is entitled to be informed and take part in debate. We must adhere to this unerringly over the next hundred years too,” said UJF president Hanne Aho as the union approaches its centenary on 28 March next year. The centenary will start to be celebrated and marked by various events starting in January. A short film about the union will also be released. The centenary will also feature prominently on social media to highlight key moments in the work of the union, its members and journalism in Finland. Throughout the year, the union will draw special attention to the importance of the media, pluralism and freedom of expression. Union members have worked for a hundred years to create reliable media, and the UJF has ensured that they can do their work on reasonable terms and conditions. A democratic society cannot function without reliable media. The union brings together a wide array of media professionals: journalists, photographers, broadcasting workers, comms workers, audiovisual translators and publishers. “They uphold the public’s right to information every day,” said Aho. Throughout history, crises have been fertile ground for disseminating misinformation. The importance of reliable media has re-emerged during the corona epidemic. “We need to ensure that the public continues to have reliable media that is sufficient and impartial. That is why the media's ability to operate must be looked after,” said the union president. “It will be safeguarded by such things as creating a permanent commercial media support model in Finland in the same way as in the other Nordic countries.” Avainsanat: Hanne Aho UFJ