For nearly two decades, I’ve followed the evolution of Estonian news, witnessing firsthand the decline in quality that parallels the shift towards chasing clicks and audience numbers. As the media landscape changes, so too does the nature of news—often at the expense of depth and serious reporting. The decline of print newspapers may be inevitable, but the real concern lies in the gradual erosion of the media’s essential role in informing and educating the public....
American minimalist composer Steve Reich’s “Music for Ensemble and Orchestra” (2018) had its maiden performance in Estonia, played by the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra (ERSO) Friday night. Another new Reich offering, “Reich/Richter” (2019), also got its debut in Estonia.
What is tangible at the 2019 Opinion Festival in Paide is the new trinity of Estonian public debate that has crystallized in recent years, with a progressive, open-society focus on one end, a very solid technocratic middle, and an almost isolationist, hard-line national conservative focus on the other.
While Estonia’s largest bookstore chains decided that they won’t carry a new Estonian translation of Mein Kampf, there has been little and thus far only very superficial discussion of the topic in local media. Considering the current political and social situation as well as how Estonia has dealt with its own complicated history in the past, this is worrying.
