Interviewing is my craft.
Since 2009 I have conducted hundreds of live broadcast interviews with politicians, academics and other specialists. Lately, my emphasis has changed from doing interviews to teaching others be better interviewers.
Avoin kysymys podcast
In this podcast I have interviewed interviewers on interviewing. The series consists of in-depth discussions with some of the top journalists in Finland (incl. Maria Veitola, Ruben Stiller, Susanna Reinboth and Paavo Teittinen). I see this project as an opportunity to explore my favourite part in journalism as well as introduce audience to journalistic practices. This kind of transparency is vital for the legitimacy of journalism.
The show has run now for four seasons and all 27 episodes are available in Yle Areena. On second season I interviewed two Finnish presidents, Sauli Niinistö and Tarja Halonen, as special guests talking about being interviewed. The fourth season was a special mini season in which we did an “autopsy” to a story with five different journalists.
Avoin kysymys – haastattelun käsikirja (Vastapaino, 2020)
My handbook on journalistic interviewing was released in September 2020. The book is an independent sequel to the Avoin kysymys podcast series. I have written this book to promote professional ethos in journalism and to talk openly about one of the main tools of the trade. The book offers a comprehensive approach to journalistic interviewing, and it is supposed to serve professionals, students and anyone interested in journalistic encounters and endeavors.
There’s also an audiobook version available. It was produced by Artlab Productions, and it contains audio material from my past interviews, dramatised interviews as well as a musical score by Jussi Liukkonen.
Öppna frågor – en guide till bättre svar (Gleerups, 2022)
This Swedish textbook is a reworked version of Avoin kysymys targeted for higher education and journalism professionals. I worked on this with my friend and colleague Andreas Mattsson, who is a Lecturer and Program Director at the School of Journalism at the Department of Communication and Media, Lund University.
The book offers a holistic view to journalistic interviewing addressing interviewers tasks and responsibilities before, during, and after the interview. It includes practical guidance, advice, and outlooks to newsrooms and journalists in Sweden, Finland, and other media systems in the world.
Training and lectures
I give lectures and teach interviewing. In recent years I have compiled different type of courses from 2-hour lectures to 4-day workshops. Also, I have thought an advanced workshop in Tampere University for graduate students.
If you are interested in an interview lecture or a larger course, don’t hesitate to contact me.