The JYY Representative Council made the decision in its meeting on 5 March 2026, based on the recruitment group’s proposal. Laukkanen will begin his duties as editor-in-chief on 7 April 2026.
“Being chosen as the next editor-in-chief of Jylkkäri was an extremely exciting situation. When JYY’s Representative Council discussed the matter behind closed doors, I sat at home chewing my nails and worrying my socks off. Receiving the news was therefore an enormous joy,” Laukkanen says.
Teemu Vasama, Executive Director of JYY and chair of the recruitment group, is pleased with the selection:
“Jylkkäri will get an excellent editor-in-chief in Janne, especially to develop the magazine’s digital channels amid the ongoing transformation of the media landscape. Janne impressed the entire recruitment group with his solid journalistic experience and his clear, multifaceted vision for developing and internationalising Jylkkäri,” Vasama notes.
Laukkanen has studied journalism at the University of Jyväskylä and holds a Master of Arts degree. Since 2021, he has worked as a managing editor at the newspaper Keskisuomalainen, and has also worked at Länsi-Savo and Puruvesi newspapers. However, the role of editor-in-chief of Jylkkäri brings new challenges.
“I look forward to my new tasks with enthusiasm. Although leading an editorial team is already familiar from my career, taking full responsibility for an entire publication is a new challenge for me. My goal is to make Jylkkäri digitally strong and modern—a ‘student’s window to the world’: a medium that also addresses topics of national and regional significance from students’ perspectives. A clear social media brand and internal structural improvements are also on the priority list,” Laukkanen explains.
“My first activity, even before signing the contract, will be gathering story ideas: good journalism starts with a good idea and continues with high-quality execution. See you on the pages—and between the lines!”
The student magazine of the University of Jyväskylä, Jylkkäri, has been published since 1960. Its articles cover student life, society, politics, culture, and current phenomena. The magazine, which is journalistically independent, is published six times per academic year and funded by the Student Union of the University of Jyväskylä (JYY).