As a cultural journalist at a newspaper, I aspired to maintain my contacts at the university. Academic expertise was long valued at Uusi Suomi, but the political conflicts of the 1960s stifled collaboration.

The most egregious incident was the rejection of an article written by Georg Henrik von Wright on the Vietnam War. I was already working on a translation when the editor told me that the views of the world-renowned philosopher were incompatible with the political stance of Uusi Suomi. I resigned from the paper. The atmosphere was freer at Helsingin Sanomat. I looked for assistants who had an academic background and knew how to write.

Lately there have been some cracks in relations between universities and newspapers. In my view both are partly to blame. When researchers concentrate on seeking recognition within the academic community, their desire to participate in sharing knowledge on a wider scale diminishes. At the same time the press faces financial difficulties and is trying to survive by focusing on popular culture.