Negotiating Trust: Immigrants’ Relationships with News and Media

Research also consistently shows that media shape public attitudes toward immigrants. For instance, exposure to successful immigrant role models can influence perceptions and attitudes toward immigration (Unan, 2025). In Scandinavia, among other places, immigration-critical alternative media that mimic mainstream news formats have become a growing concern. These outlets employ journalistic conventions to advance a shared ideological message: that increased immigration has made Scandinavian societies unsafe and that political elites and the justice system are responsible for this so-called crisis (Nygaard, 2019). More broadly, heightened media attention to immigration polarizes attitudes by activating preexisting prejudices, rather than through persuasive effects of biased news consumption (Schneider, Strawczynski & Valette, 2025).

But what about the attitudes, experiences and expectations of the immigrants? Siitonen et al. (2026) have illustrated that since moving to Finland some immigrant families participating to their study reported to have experienced a push towards a certain type of media, often because it is considered as ‘reliable’ by the authorities within the environment. These recommendations were said to be coming for example from organisers and/or teachers at the integration training, for example. Yet, being able to critically assess the reliability of for example the news in Finnish was not always possible due to limitations in the Finnish language competence. Thus, many of the participants would rely on their friends and social circles for reliable news. This kind of ‘curating’ of the relevant content was discussed in those families especially where both parents had another L1 than Finnish. (Siitonen et al., 2026).

This session examines the fragmented nature of media use among transnational individuals, families, and communities. We aim to explore which media sources are considered trustworthy and why, as well as the kinds of realities media both reflect and construct for those who have relocated geographically. The democratic authority of news media rests on a basic premise of delegated trust: citizens rely on media to provide relevant and accurate information. In a context of declining trust, growing polarization, and an expanding media landscape, this session also considers how immigrants relate to the media when that trust is strained or breaks down.

In this presentation we will introduce our study investigating media practices within immigrant families in Finland, focusing on households with teenage children where at least one parent relocated to Finland in adulthood. In contemporary societies, media functions as a key facilitator of connectivity, identity, and belonging, and for immigrant families it plays a dual role in sustaining transnational ties while supporting integration into local contexts. Drawing on 19 focus group interviews, the research explores how multilingual and global media landscapes shape everyday family life, highlighting both opportunities for cohesion and sources of tension. Our analysis reveals that participating families seem to negotiate on balancing heritage preservation, safety concerns, and local expectations. Family members also negotiate meanings and practices of autonomy and engaging with transnational media trends. The study contributes to understanding how immigrant families navigate bifocality—the simultaneous engagement with local and distant realities—and how these negotiations take place in everyday interactions in these families.

This paper examines how migrants become media sources themselves and share their knowledge of immigration and life in Finland through content creation on TikTok. TikTok is a short-video platform that relies heavily on individualized algorithmic content moderation, creating unique viewing experiences based on the users’ watching behaviors, interactions, and preferences.  For mobile subjects, who move to Finland mainly to work and study – TikTok is a tool to learn about and relate to their new surroundings, local people, Finnishness, and on the other hand, to make their presence in Finland visible to others. Drawing on ethnographic data – semi-structured interviews with content creators, aged 18-35, who moved to Finland mostly within the last 5 years, observations on TikTok and multimodal analysis of selected videos, this paper reflects on how migrants get engaged in the economy of trust on TikTok. Negotiation and construction of trust on TikTok are considered to be at least two-directional – 1) towards developing a trustworthy online persona or so-called authenticity of content creators (trust in the content creator), 2) towards mitigating possible harm arising from the digital visibility (vulnerability) of content creators through control over their content and self-disclosure (distrust of the audience, algorithms).  Relying on digital migration studies (Leurs & Ponzanesi, 2025), informed by decolonial perspective, the paper focuses on the ways migrants negotiate their belonging to Finland and navigate the affective regimes, manufactured and reinforced by TikTok. This paper draws on the ongoing research project “TikTok (Anti) Democracies: Self-making, Skepticism, and Political Expression among Young People”, supported by Kone Foundation.

Migration from Africa to European countries has become an important social and political issue, particularly as Africans increasingly rely on media platforms to obtain information about life, opportunities, risks, and migration experiences in Europe. Using a qualitative approach based primarily on secondary sources, the study examines the role of the media in shaping migrants’ perspectives and expectations about migration from Africa to European countries. It focuses on how television, newspapers, social media, online news platforms, films, and migrant networks communicate images and narratives about Europe and how these representations influence migrants’ decisions, expectations, and perceptions of life abroad. The study argues that the media can play a dual role in the migration process. On the one hand, positive representations of Europe as a place of employment, security, better living conditions, and social mobility may encourage migration aspirations. On the other hand, reports about racism, unemployment, restrictive immigration policies, dangerous journeys, deportation, and difficult living conditions may discourage potential migrants or encourage them to reconsider their plans. The study further observes that social media has complicated this process because migrants and prospective migrants can now exchange personal experiences directly, sometimes creating idealised or misleading representations of European life. It concludes that the media is not simply a channel through which migration information is transmitted; it is also an important actor in constructing meanings, expectations, and attitudes surrounding migration. The study therefore recommends greater media responsibility in reporting migration issues, improved media literacy among prospective migrants, and increased attention to balanced representations of both the opportunities and challenges associated with migration to Europe.
Keywords: Media, Migration, Africa, Europe, Migrants, Social Media, Migration Aspirations, Media Representation.

Integration is often discussed in terms of employment, language learning, education and participation in society. However, migrants also need continuous access to reliable information about the society in which they live. This paper examines how migrant media can contribute to integration through its everyday journalistic activities, using HaberFin, a Turkish-language online newspaper in Finland, as a case study.

HaberFin’s primary purpose is journalism: reporting news and current affairs from Finland, Turkey and the wider world. Since its establishment, the newspaper has produced more than 4,000 Turkish-language news reports, analyses and commentaries about Finland, covering politics, migration, legislation, citizenship, residence permits, education, healthcare, the economy, security and social issues. Integration is not its primary mission. Nevertheless, its everyday reporting creates an important connection between Turkish-speaking migrants and Finnish society.
The paper asks how providing regular news in migrants’ own language can contribute to their understanding of Finnish institutions, public debates and social life, and consequently support their integration.

The study uses HaberFin as a qualitative case study and analyses its journalistic output and the subjects it covers. Particular attention is given to reporting that explains changes in legislation, public policies, elections, public services and other issues directly affecting migrants’ everyday lives.

The paper argues that journalism itself can have an integrative function. By informing migrants about what is happening in the society around them, migrant media can reduce information gaps, increase understanding of institutions and enable migrants to follow and participate in public discussion. In this sense, integration is not necessarily a separate activity added to journalism; it can be a natural outcome of being informed and connected to the society in which one lives.

The HaberFin case demonstrates how migrant media can simultaneously fulfil its primary
role as journalism and contribute to information access, institutional understanding, trust,
participation and belonging.
Keywords: Migrant media, journalism, integration, Finland, trust, belonging, information
access, HaberFin

Vuoden 2025 lopussa Suomessa oli muuta kuin suomea, ruotsia tai saamea äidinkielenään puhuvia noin 650 000, mikä vastasi 11,4 prosenttia koko väestöstä (Tilastokeskus 2026). 

Kasvavan vieraskielisen väestön tiedonsaantioikeus on perustavanlaatuinen viestinnällinen oikeus, jonka toteutumiseen Suomi on perustuslakiaan myöten sitoutunut (ks. Karppinen ym. 2015). Kielivähemmistöjen palveleminen onkin kirjattu verorahoitteisen Yleisradion tehtäviin ja vieraskielinen väestö voisi olla yhä kasvava potentiaalinen yleisö myös kaupalliselle medialle. Mediaorganisaatiot eivät kuitenkaan usein tunne kielivähemmistöjen tarpeita, mediankäyttötapoja tai niitä esteitä, jotka vaikeuttavat suomalaisen median käyttöä. Yleisöinä kielivähemmistöt edelleen koetaan virheellisestikin marginaalisiksi.

Eri kieliryhmien mediankäytön välillä on jonkin verran eroja, mutta yleiskuva on, että vieraskieliset kuluttavat paljon uutisia: Ylen Taloustutkimuksella teettämän, väestötasolla edustavan kyselyn (2025) mukaan 61% vieraskielisisistä lukee, katsoo tai kuuntelee uutisia joka päivä. Uutisten seuraamisessa globaalit ja entisten kotimaiden mediat näyttelevät kuitenkin merkittävämpää roolia kuin suomalaiset uutismediat (ks. myös Siitonen ym. 2025). Syvällisempi tieto siitä, millaista vieraskielisten mediankäyttö Suomessa on, mistä he saavat yhteiskunnallisesti merkittävää tietoa ja miten merkityksellisinä he eri tiedonsaantikanavia pitävät, on kuitenkin vähäistä ja hajanaista.

Tutkimuksemme tehtävä on selvittää osallistavin ja etnografisin keinoin, mistä Suomessa asuvat vieraskieliset saavat paikkansapitävää, yhteiskunnallisesti tärkeää ja ajankohtaista tietoa, miten olemassa olevat suomalaiset mediatuotteet palvelevat heidän tiedonsaantitarpeitaan sekä miten ymmärrettävää ja merkittävää suomenkielinen ja Suomessa tuotettu vieraskielinen uutissisältö heidän näkökulmastaan on. Tutkimuksessa tarkastelemme sekä vieraskielisten mediankäyttöä laajemmin että erityisesti uutismedian käyttöä ja kysymme, missä määrin mediankäyttötavat sekä suomalaisen uutismedian tarjonta ja sisällöt auttavat kiinnittymään tai vaikeuttavat kiinnittymistä ja kuulumista suomalaiseen yhteiskuntaan ja informaatioympäristöön. Läpeensä digitalisoituneessa ja monimuotoisessa informaatioympäristössä tällainen ymmärrys on kasvavan tärkeää myös yhteiskunnallisen eheyden näkökulmasta. 

Tässä esityksessä esittelemme ylläkuvatun tutkimusongelman mukaista kolmevuotista tutkimussuunnitelmaa (Haaga-Helia amk, TAY ja JYU) ja avaamme keskustelun siitä, mihin näkökulmiin tutkimuksen olisi tärkeintä paneutua ja millaisin metodein tutkimusaineistoa kannattaisi kerätä. Samalla haluamme läpivalaista journalismintutkimuksen lähtökohdista ponnistavan tutkimussuunnitelmamme vahvuuksia ja heikkouksia muuttoliiketutkimuksen näkökulmasta.