’The good things are rarely talked about’: Early childhood education and care student teachers’ thoughts on media news about their field in Finland and Iceland

The media has a significant impact on people’s perceptions and experiences. It tends to focus on topics that interest the general public and attract readers. In recent years, early childhood education and care (ECEC) has garnered media attention in Finland and Iceland. News coverage highlights the problems and challenges associated with ECEC, but it has also raised concerns about the image created for future professionals in the field. This study examines the thoughts of ECEC student teachers about media coverage of the field and its impact on the portrayal of the ECEC field in Finland and Iceland. The study included questionnaire answers from 105 ECEC student teachers from Finland and 100 ECEC student teachers from Iceland. Our study reveals that student teachers perceived media coverage in various dimensions, including the dominating negative coverage, the impact of negative perspectives on ECEC, the view of ECEC as a service for parents and the labor market, the disrespect of professionalism, and recognizing that the visibility of ECEC is important. The study also showed that some students highlighted the significance of news coverage, because they believed it could address and fix issues within the field.