In her revealing book, journalist Johanna Aatsalo shares her own view of the doping news that talked about the whole nation.
Johanna Aatsalo, who wrote the doping scandal news, currently works as an editor for a construction industry magazine. WSOY
In January 1998, the entire sports nation stopped when STT was told by a skier Jari Räsänen have used growth hormone. The news was prepared by a 31-year-old journalist at the time Johanna Aatsalo.
Immediately after the publication of the news, a tangle began, the details of which Aatsalo describes in detail in his recent book Revelation. The story of a doping news story and a reporter who wanted to be silenced (WSOY).
The introductory text of the book summarizes the kind of turmoil Aatsalo had to experience after the sensational publication.
From the publication of the news, a thriller unfolds hour by hour, during which the management of the Ski Association, including Esko Aho, tries to destroy Aatsalo’s career. Colleagues also turn their backs and Aatsalo becomes the nation’s spitting cup.
Aatsalo says in his book that he also received threats against his life.
In public, it was claimed that we had committed sacrilege, angry people wrote about our treason in opinion columns and sent various death threats by phone and letter. We were in the eye of the storm, but that was just the beginning.
Aatsalo was supported and encouraged by, among others, his relatives and STT’s editor-in-chief at the time Kari Väisänen.
Aatsalo tells an interesting detail from the time when she received a surprise phone call from her husband, who worked in the Helsinki police at the time Sam’s from a colleague, From Jari Aarnio.
I thought I’d call you. Stick to what you said. Sami said that he is called and asked about it, but this situation does not cause anything worse here. I just wanted to call you and express my support with the matterAarnio said to Aatsalo.
The cart worked
The doping case was followed by a long legal process, which began in 1999 when the Helsinki district court sentenced Väisänen and Aatsalo to suspended imprisonment and fines for public defamation.
In October 2000, the Helsinki Court of Appeal gave its decision and changed the punishments of Väisänen and Aatsalo to fines and rejected the rights of 14 people to compensation.
In 2001, six skiers skied from Hemohes in the World Championships in Lahti. The head coach Kari-Pekka Kyrön the medicine bag was found at Ala-Tikkurila Shell.
After legal battles, it was revealed that Aatsalo was right from the beginning. Long-term stress left its mark on Aatsalo, which led to the loss of marriage and career, among other things.
The whole thing inevitably changed me, involuntarily. I was trying to get through my life and face things and feelings as they came to me. And I don’t know what I could have done differentlyhe writes in his book.
Aatsalo’s book, Revelation. The story of a doping news story and a reporter who wanted to be silenced (WSOY) was published on Wednesday 31.1.