On its website, the Finnish Broadcasting Company YLE asked its readers to make suggestions for the word of the year. The proposals went onto a shortlist from which readers could vote for their favorite. The selection of the word of the year for the English language has always been fun in my opinion. Among those weighing in: the Oxford Dictionaries chose selfie, and Merriam-Webster‘s decided on science. The American Dialect Society will vote on its word at the end of the year. These choices are interesting, because they are made by dictionary professionals and the selection is justified by frequency or number of look-ups. The Finnish word was chosen by a couple of thousand readers from random proposals, and in my opinion it is not typical for this point in time but rather the beginning of the 2000s. But why should I criticize a playful poll? Because the real issue is broader. No groundwork was done; no time devoted to research. Instead, opinions in a quick poll are reported by three channels, all sponsored by tax money. Once again, the media choose not to report reality but to create their own.