European Journalists Network
The European Journalists Network began life under the name of the International Press Association (IPA), founded in Helsinki in 1968.
History
Its founding purpose was to create an organization for foreign correspondents from both east and west. By special dispensation from the Minister of the Interior, it was allowed to register its statutes in English.
The rival Western Foreign Press Club (WFPC) decided not to admit members from eastern Europe, whom it did not regard as real journalists. During the Cold War, Helsinki was indeed a centre of espionage.
The IPA ignored the politics of its members and was able to attract journalists from the developing world and China as well as the Soviet bloc. Its lively meetings appealed to westerners too and it soon had far more members than the WFPC.
The WFPC struggled on for several decades, but its recruitment was generally unsuccessful. When most of its members had retired, it transformed itself into a social club.
By the 1990s, the IPA was also fighting to survive. The collapse of the USSR had cut the number of East European correspondents and made the Nordic area a less interesting place for western media.
At the same time, the greater sophistication of local journalists meant that several foreign news organizations felt they no longer needed their own man in Helsinki.
Many outward-looking journalists were now joining the Journalists of Europe association (Eurooppa-toimittajat - Et), which was founded in Helsinki in 1992, and was intended as much for Finns as foreigners. It was closely associated with Brussels and its statutes spoke of spreading awareness about Europe.
The Et was strongly popular in its early years but, as Nordic public and press enthusiasm for the EU waned, meetings became sparsely attended. A federalist image was now a burden.
Once again, journalists interested in international affairs needed an association that had no political agenda. In 1998, the Et revised its statutes and merged with the International Press Association, creating the European Journalists Network.
Pat Humphreys, September 2008
| Chairs of the IPA | Raimo Arhela, Ralf Friberg, Thomas Romantschuk, Joe Brady, Pat Humphreys |
| Chairs of the Et | Matti Karhu, Eeva Haltsonen, Juha-Pekka Kervinen |
| Presidents of the EJN | Ralf Friberg, Adrián Soto |