hakijatiedustelut
hakijatiedustelut refers to the practice of gathering, compiling and evaluating information on political candidates in Finland. The term combines hakija – “candidate” – and tiedustelu – “reconnaissance” – and is used mainly in the context of elections, political campaigns, and media coverage. Typically, hakijatiedustelut involve searching public records, social media profiles, past employment, education, financial disclosures, media interviews and any other documents that may shed light on a candidate’s background, policy positions, and conduct.
The first systematic use of hakijatiedustelut can be traced back to the 1990s, when new technology made
While hakijatiedustelut are aimed at promoting informed voting, they also raise privacy concerns. Critics argue that
In practice, hakijatiedustelut serve multiple stakeholder interests. Journalists use them to hold candidates accountable, political parties