The city administration of Tallinn (where Keskerakond is the party in power) ordered all the kindergartens in Tallinn to put up yellow posters where they blacken the government for cuts in the budget and praise themselves for correcting the mistakes in a perfect way.
The headline „Ettevaatust, hoiduge kollaste valede eest“ („Be careful, abstain from the yellow lies“) is said to be meant for the parents who bring their children to kindergartens.
Tallinn’s education office does not see it as a problem because the city didn’t use their money and they can’t see political advertising but information in these posters.
Remo Holsmer (Reformierakond) from the town council sees the posters as shameless anti-state action.
The Department of Education thinks that kindergartens are a wrong place for the city and the state to fight. The ministry says that all kind of propaganda must stay away from educational institutions.
Postimees.ee sent questions to the mayor Edgar Savisaar and he replied with a public letter. There he says that nothing else was left to do, it was the only way to grab attention and let the kindergartens know that the city will not frighten the kindergarten workers with non-existent wage reduction. He says that they only give out objective information and the journalists make it into something wrong and similar to propaganda. The journalist from Postimees.ee, Uwe Gnadenteich also asked the mayor whether he sees any ethical problems and the mayor seemed very upset by that and answered: „Küsin vastu: kas see oli eetiline probleem, kui te otsustasite lasteaiaõpetajad ja koos nendega ka lastevanemad ohverdada Reformierakonna, IRLi ja sotside altarile ning mürgitasite nende meeli väärinformatsiooniga? Ma ei tunne Teid isiklikult, kuid nii ei kõlba käituda sõltumatul ajakirjandusel.“ ("I ask back: was it an ethical problem when you chose to sacrifice the kindergarten teachers and with them also the parents to the altar of the parties Reformierakond, IRL and Sotsiaaldemokraadid and poisoned their minds with false information? I don’t know you personally but this is not a proper way for independent journalism to work“). See more: http://www.tallinnapostimees.ee/?id=98837
He adds that the same is with the „darkened Tallinn“ where journalists have not remained neutral. „Paraku, nagu ma juba hoiatasin ühes eelnevas sissekandes oma blogisse - te ei püüa ju enam hiiri!“ („As I already warned you in a former post in my blog – you are not chasing mice anymore!“).
Kindergartens are scared. They did what they were asked to do but they are not happy to be under pressure. Although some had no problem putting the posters up for everybody to see, others refused to follow orders.
Is it right to take dirty politics to places that should be free of every kind of politics? Or are the posters informative and propaganda is the last thing you will find there? The city and the state must find another way to do politics. And another place.
By Marit
The headline „Ettevaatust, hoiduge kollaste valede eest“ („Be careful, abstain from the yellow lies“) is said to be meant for the parents who bring their children to kindergartens.
Tallinn’s education office does not see it as a problem because the city didn’t use their money and they can’t see political advertising but information in these posters.
Remo Holsmer (Reformierakond) from the town council sees the posters as shameless anti-state action.
The Department of Education thinks that kindergartens are a wrong place for the city and the state to fight. The ministry says that all kind of propaganda must stay away from educational institutions.
Postimees.ee sent questions to the mayor Edgar Savisaar and he replied with a public letter. There he says that nothing else was left to do, it was the only way to grab attention and let the kindergartens know that the city will not frighten the kindergarten workers with non-existent wage reduction. He says that they only give out objective information and the journalists make it into something wrong and similar to propaganda. The journalist from Postimees.ee, Uwe Gnadenteich also asked the mayor whether he sees any ethical problems and the mayor seemed very upset by that and answered: „Küsin vastu: kas see oli eetiline probleem, kui te otsustasite lasteaiaõpetajad ja koos nendega ka lastevanemad ohverdada Reformierakonna, IRLi ja sotside altarile ning mürgitasite nende meeli väärinformatsiooniga? Ma ei tunne Teid isiklikult, kuid nii ei kõlba käituda sõltumatul ajakirjandusel.“ ("I ask back: was it an ethical problem when you chose to sacrifice the kindergarten teachers and with them also the parents to the altar of the parties Reformierakond, IRL and Sotsiaaldemokraadid and poisoned their minds with false information? I don’t know you personally but this is not a proper way for independent journalism to work“). See more: http://www.tallinnapostimees.ee/?id=98837
He adds that the same is with the „darkened Tallinn“ where journalists have not remained neutral. „Paraku, nagu ma juba hoiatasin ühes eelnevas sissekandes oma blogisse - te ei püüa ju enam hiiri!“ („As I already warned you in a former post in my blog – you are not chasing mice anymore!“).
Kindergartens are scared. They did what they were asked to do but they are not happy to be under pressure. Although some had no problem putting the posters up for everybody to see, others refused to follow orders.
Is it right to take dirty politics to places that should be free of every kind of politics? Or are the posters informative and propaganda is the last thing you will find there? The city and the state must find another way to do politics. And another place.
By Marit
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