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Broadcasters / YLE / Yle Moi

YLE

Yle Moi

Format

Investigative magazine

Length

30 min

Timeslot

Monday 20:00, YLE TV1

Exposé length

2–4 pages

Editorial tone

Meticulous, factual, Nordic-sober. MOT is Finland's most important investigative TV format — the Finnish equivalent of SVT's Uppdrag granskning. The tone is calm but relentless. Facts are presented methodically, claims are comprehensively documented. No sensationalism, no pathos — the strength lies in the precision of the research. The reporters are invisible behind the story, the facts speak for themselves. Confrontational interviews are polite in tone but unyielding in substance. MOT respects its audience and delivers reliable information instead of emotions. 30 minutes enforces precision and compression — not a word too many.

What this format covers

  • ●Political scandals and abuse of power in Finland
  • ●Economic crime and tax evasion
  • ●Failure of public institutions
  • ●Consumer protection and corporate misconduct
  • ●Environmental scandals and industrial pollution
  • ●Organized crime and cross-border crime
  • ●Healthcare system and social security systems

What this format does NOT want

  • ●Soft features or human-interest stories without investigative core
  • ●Science documentaries
  • ●Cultural or artistic portraits
  • ●Nature and wildlife films
  • ●Historical retrospectives without current relevance
  • ●Topics without solid evidence base
  • ●Opinion-driven or activist formats

Visual expectations

Sober Scandinavian investigative style. Documents, data visualizations, graphics. Confrontational interviews in factual atmosphere. On-location research with observational camera. No dramatic staging. Clear, uncluttered visual language — Nordic aesthetics meets journalistic functionality. Undercover footage only when legally and ethically defensible. The look is professional but not cinematic — journalism, not film.

Expected exposé structure

  1. Title (working title)
  2. Yhteenveto (summary: what is being revealed?)
  3. Todistusaineisto (evidence base: documents, data, witnesses)
  4. Lähteet (sources: whistleblowers, insiders, registries)
  5. Menetelmä (methodology: how was the research conducted?)
  6. Yhteiskunnallinen merkitys (societal relevance)
  7. Aikataulu (timeline and budget)
  8. Journalist and team biography

Example productions

  • MOT: Veronkierto Suomessa (Steuerhinterziehung in Finnland, 2021)
  • MOT: Pandoran paperit (Pandora Papers, 2021)
  • MOT: Hoitajakriisi (Die Pflegekrise, 2022)
  • MOT: Venaejaen vaikutusvalta (Russlands Einfluss, 2022)
  • MOT: Luontokato (Biodiversitaetsverlust, 2023)
  • MOT: Kouluvaekivalta (Schulgewalt, 2023)
European perspective required

Editorial notes

MOT has run since 2001 on YLE TV1 and is the most influential investigative format on Finnish television. YLE (Yleisradio) is Finland's public broadcaster. MOT has published numerous exposés that led to political consequences. Finland has strong press freedom laws and robust source protection. The commissioning desk works with international networks (ICIJ, EIC). MOT is predominantly produced in-house but accepts external story pitches from experienced journalists. 30 minutes is tight — the pitch must demonstrate the story is tellable in this format. [TO VERIFY] Current editorial leadership and submission pathways for external producers.

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