Yle’s editor-in-chief hospitalised after medical incident, deputy named acting replacement

Yle’s head of news and sports, Panu Pokkinen, has been hospitalised in Lisbon after suffering a medical emergency while on holiday in Portugal, the Finnish public broadcaster reported Monday.

Pokkinen, who was jogging at the time, fell ill late last week and remains under treatment in a Lisbon hospital. Yle’s CEO Marit af Björkesten stated the organisation is providing full support to Pokkinen and his family, adding, “We hope Panu recovers as soon as possible.”

Krista Taubert, currently a senior editor and head of in-depth journalism at Yle News and Sports, has been appointed acting editor-in-chief and will join the executive management team in the interim.

The unit oversees Finnish-language news, sports, and current affairs coverage nationwide, as well as foreign-language and sign-language news services.