Forum för ekonomi och teknik

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Magazines : Forum för ekonomi och teknik

Interview : Patrick Lindfors / Editor in chief

How did you become Editor in Chief of Forum för ekonomi och teknik?
I was appointed Editor in Chief of the magazine in February 2000. Before that I had been working as a financial reporter at the Hufvudstadsbladet-newspaper for five years. I also wrote editorials dealing with economy and finance during 19981999. When my predecessor at Forum, Mr Fredrik Nars, decided to move on in his career, I found it a natural solution to apply for the job. My experience as a journalist and interest in the magazine made the decision easy.

To your point of view, what are the positive and negative aspects of this profession?
One of the most positive aspects of being an editor and journalist is the possibility to document occasions and trends that influence the society. Another positive aspect is the feedback from the readers the information that we provide can be useful and give the readers insight in various important matters and new ideas. Being editor of a monthly magazine reduces one of the "negative" aspects of the daily journalism the lack of time.

What is the most difficult part of your profession?
One of the most difficult parts, and at the same time one of the most important, is to include all the relevant information and point of views in the articles and editorials. The facts and different opinions have to be weighted against each other in order to give an objective coverage of a subject and at the same time providing new and interesting information.

Do you consider it as a job or is it more than that?
The profession can be described as important, for several reasons, and therefore as "more than a job". In a democracy, it is vitally important that the media provides the citizens with information about what is going on in the society, at all levels. A transparent society is in the benefit of all citizens, and the media plays a key role in this respect. When it comes to my job as the Editor in Chief of Forum för ekonomi och teknik, I also find a cultural dimension in my duty, since it is the only Swedish language business magazine in Finland.

It seems that nowadays, people can find quite easily free newspapers or magazines almost everywhere. Is it, somehow, a threat to "traditional" magazines or newspapers?
The free newspapers, both printed and on the Internet, have increased the total offering of news and made this information available for a larger group of people. That is definitely a positive aspect of the matter for example people who can¹t afford a "traditional" newspaper are able to get information from the free newspapers. The free newspapers have increased the competition on the market, and are forcing the "traditional" newspapers to improve themselves in order to convince people to pay money for them. The Internet might be at threat to those newspapers that don¹t adapt to the new situation.

As an Editor in Chief, are you involved in every aspect of your publication?
I am involved in every aspect of the magazine concerning the journalistic work. I¹m not involved in the selling of advertisements, which is a criterion for providing an objective journalism.

When was your magazine first published? Whose idea or concept was it?
Forum för ekonomi och teknik was first published in 1968, as a result of a "merger" of four different Swedish language technical and financial publications. The oldest of the publications was called Tekniskt Forum, and was first published in 1880. In 1971 the financial magazine Mercator was also included in Forum för ekonomi och teknik. The magazines were owned by the organisations representing the Swedish language engineers and business graduates. These organisations came to the conclusion that a common magazine would guarantee a larger circulation and a stronger position in the magazine market.

Would you say that your magazine now is different from the first edition?
The purpose of the magazine is still the same to provide news and information in Swedish about topics related to economy and technology. The magazine was published every second week until 1996, when it was transformed into a monthly magazine. The outlook of the magazine has of course also changed since the first edition.

How would you present your magazine to our readers who don¹t know it?
Forum för ekonomi och teknik is a Swedish language monthly magazine focused on economy and technology. We publish articles covering areas such as science, management, finance, politics and present analyses of news and trends in the corporate and technological sectors. Our high-ranked columnists give their view on current topics in the fields of investing, EU, personal economy and economic trends. Our main objective is to inform and inspire our readers.

Could you present your "editorial line"?
Forum för ekonomi och teknik is an independent magazine, with an editorial aim to analyse the trends and decisions taken in the sectors covered by the magazine. We support decisions that increase the transparency and efficiency of the society, for example regarding the financial sector and the political decision making.

Who are your readers? Do you aim to touch or focus on a certain part of the population?
The majority of our readers have a technical or economical education, and most of them have Swedish as their mother tongue. Forum för ekonomi och teknik is well known among decision-makers both in the corporate and political sectors. As a Swedish language magazine, Forum is also read in the Scandinavian countries.

How is the situation with the Finnish press (newspapers, magazines) nowadays?
The Finns are among the most active consumers of newspapers in the whole world, and that has ensured a very broad offering of newspapers. The economic downturn during the last three years has weakened the economic situation of many newspapers and magazines, because of a general drop in the advertisement volumes. The ownership of the Finnish newspapers and magazines is concentrated to a few big media corporations. The weaker economic situation has forced the publishers to different forms of co-operation, for example joint TV-supplements. At the same time new magazines have appeared in the Finnish media landscape, most of them focusing on a narrow hobby-related target group.

Would you say that the "traditional magazines" suffer or benefit from the Internet?
The answer depends very much on the strategy of each magazine. The magazines that have adapted to the "Internet age" have understood that the Internet is a useful channel of information, that gives the magazine the opportunity to provide its readers with a news service that is independent of the publishing time schedule of the printed magazine. An interesting fact is that the magazine is the best "Internet" ever invented a printed magazine is a lot more mobile and comfortable media than any Internet-based application.

Do you have a web site? What content do you provide?
We have a web site, www.forum-fet.fi. We publish some of the articles from the printed magazine on the web, and Finland-related business news on a daily basis. It is also possible to read press releases on line, provided by the Waymaker-company, at our web site.

What are your projects for the future?
We are developing the magazine continuously, both the content and the layout. We are also planning to reform our web site, in order to increase our content on the web.

Interview by Vincent Lefrançois - 2003