Journalism students at Mid Sweden University nominated for the Golden Spade
Journalism students Ida Strid, Elin Myrgren, and Johannes Svärd have been nominated for the most prestigious award in investigative journalism. They are now in the running for a Guldspade for their investigation into how easily companies can buy fake reviews and glowing ratings on Trustpilot.
On Wednesday, the Association of Investigative Journalists published all the investigations that had been nominated for the Golden Shovel.
The journalism students from Mid Sweden University are nominated in the student class for their review #scampilot, where they formed a fictitious company that searched for sugary reviews on the rating site Trustpilot. They exposed a world of shady actors who, for a fee, manipulate and undermine Trustpilot's credibility – and mislead consumers all over the world.
" It feels great to have the chance to receive an award like this, also considering that no one has reviewed this before. Our review sheds light on a problem that affects all consumers on a daily basis. A problem that is completely foreign to the masses," says Johannes Svärd, to the trade magazine Resumé.
"We are proud and happy"
"At the journalism programme, we are very proud and happy about their nomination. We see it as an acknowledgement that our education and our students are of a high standard," says Peter Jonriksson, responsible for the course Investigative Journalism that is part of the programme.
The revelation was published on the journalism programme's investigative site DCase.se, but also in Resumé.
Ida Strid and Elin Myrgren are currently doing their final long internship at Sundsvalls Tidning. Johannes Svärd is doing his internship at Resumé.
Among the other nominees is also Mid Sweden University alumnus Adrian Sadikovic at Dagens Nyheter, for his part in the revelation of how SÄPO's bodyguards' jogging apps make it possible to map their protected persons.
This is the second time DCase.se has been nominated for a Golden Shovel. In 2020, the revelation won #sexfeud the prize for a review of how children are exposed to sexual advances and abuse via the gaming app Wordfeud.
The winners of this year’s award will be announced at the Investigative Journalism Seminar in Kristianstad on March 28.
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