In the run-up to the arrival of the presidents of the United States and Russia, Finland’s largest newspaper Helsingin Sanomat has prepared an unusual surprise.
About 300 billboards placed along the route from the airport to the meeting point of Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin remind of the importance of media freedom.
“Mr. President, welcome to the land of free press!” one of them reads.
The inscriptions on the billboards are made in the Russian and English languages. Most include the headlines of critical articles written in the both countries in the period of 2000-2018. The action was aimed at the demonstration of support for US and Russian journalists who are working in difficult conditions.
“As we welcome the presidents to the summit in Helsinki, we want to remind them of the importance of free press. 300 billboards on the routes from the airport to the summit are filled with news headlines regarding presidents’ attitude towards the pressfreedom,” Kaius Niemi, Helsingin Sanomat senior editor-in-chief, said on Twitter.
The meeting of Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin is taking place today.
