Browsing by Subject "kaksoiskaupunki"

The cooperation between Finland and Estonia is most visible in the collaboration between the capitals of the countries. The twin city development of Helsinki and Tallinn and the planned tunnel infrastructure between the cities have caused societal debates in both countries. The societal debate on the themes gained new importance when Estonia became part of the EU and NATO in 2004. The tunnel infrastructure connecting the cities became a major news topic from the mid-2010s onwards, and it was also an important part of news coverage regarding the cooperation between the countries. The progress of the public and private tunnel projects sparked interest in the major daily newspapers in both countries. The theoretical background of the thesis is based on the theories of cross-border cooperation, twin cities and spatial planning. The theoretical framework of the thesis revolves also around the strategic framing and anchor infrastructures used in the media as part of territorial cohesion. Discursive framing and regional branding in the media are both important parts of regional formation. The aim of the study was to find out the discourses used in framing the twin city and tunnel connection in the largest daily newspapers of Finland and Estonia. The conclusion of the dissertation is that geographical reality can be interpreted by studying discourses and societal significance. Media discourses convey a broader societal debate on the topics. The material of the study was articles in the online publications of Helsingin Sanomat and Postimees from 2004-2020. The study examined the articles according to the framework of content analysis and critical media discourse analysis. The study examined the forms of discursive framing through media discourses. Based on the data analysis, the tunnel infrastructure is a more newsworthy topic than the twin city. The tunnel plays an important role in shaping the discourses in the research material. The tunnel is framed as a foundational part of the twin city and wider regional context. The tunnel connection gains relevance by forming the area and enabling growth. Improving accessibility and connection to Central Europe are major parts of the Finnish tunnel discourse. Economic perspectives are part of the discourse in both journals. Major political actors in both countries, such as ministers and mayors, are most prominently present in the research material. Political agency is embodied in the framing of anchor infrastructure. The entry of the privately funded tunnel project in 2016 changes the themes of the articles. The private tunnel project is causing occasional opposition from countries’ politicians and officials, manifested in confrontation represented in the media. In Finland the criticism of the private project is focused on the alignment of the tunnel, whereas in Estonia on security policy concerns caused by foreign funding. The largest daily newspapers in Finland and Estonia serve as a platform for the societal debate. Their articles delimit and frame the topics of societal debate. The means of strategic framing and raising the news value of the topic become the focus of the research material as the media focuses more on the tunnel connection after the mid-2010s. The discursive framing of the twin city takes place through a tunnel infrastructure. The discursive framing that emerges in the media reflects the geographical significance of different actors.