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During the annual excavation seminar, organized by the Association of Excavation Journalists, this year’s Gold Spade winners were announced on Friday. The award is given in eight different categories and for the best review published in a metropolitan newspaper, GP reporter Michael Verdicchio has won an award for “Terror Against Peasants” magazine.
– It feels really fun to win. It was terrible stories that led today’s police to take these types of crimes seriously. It’s a restoration for all the families with kids who are nosy in the middle of the night and their farms vandalized, says Michael Verdicchio.
Editors Snezana Bosinovska and Michael Verdicchio serve on the editorial board. Photo: Stefan Berg
It was after reporter Michael Verdicchio received a tip from a private person he had previously interviewed in another context that it all started. The tip was about a farmer who was threatened by animal rights activists and when he started to take a closer look at the case, it turned out that the farmer was not alone.
Farmers in all industries had experienced threats from the animal rights movement, but the problem existed in secret. The victims had little trust in both the reporters and the authorities.
– It was difficult to get the farmers to stand up. At the same time, there were no crime statistics on the extent of these problems, says Michael Verdicchio.
READ MORE: Then the terror for animal rights became the biggest threat to farmers.
“We have reviewed a forgotten group”
Many feared that any attention would lead to further harassment. Several had also previously been harassed by animal rights activists who later pretended to be journalists.
Extensive work was started to map the crimes. Among other things, through a large number of interviews with victims, relatives, employees and police, the panorama of the problem is glimpsed.
A large part of the work also consisted of infiltrating militant groups via the Internet to identify those who were spreading threats and organized crime.
READ MORE: Animal rights group spreads instructions on bombs, in its own manual
After publication in early 2019, the review shocked the whole of Sweden. Many farmers were contacted and the review progress had over a million visits.
-I have never received so much response, many said they finally got hold of the issue. Farmers in rural areas can often feel ignored by the media, police and authorities. We have examined a forgotten group. Today, these types of crimes are viewed in a completely different light, says Michael Verdicchio.
GP photographer Stefan Berg played an important role in the work. He believes it is important that attention is paid to an investment in excavation journalism.
– We have known families with children who are harassed and threatened in a terrible way. These are young children who fall ill and despite their concern for their own safety, they stood up and spoke to us. It is extremely strong and indicates a great deal of civil courage. This is the mission of journalism, to expose misconduct, says Stefan Berg.
GP photographer Stefan Berg worked on the review of the animal rights movement.
READ MORE: The government wants to give farmers better protection against animal rights activists
Had a great impact
The review had an impact down to the government level. It was discussed in several interpellation debates and in March the government sent a letter of regulation to the Police Authority with a new assignment. They were urged to start prioritizing crimes related to animal rights at the national level.
The review also led to Sweden’s largest vegan fair, Vegomässan, having to be closed after GP revealed connections between organizers and activists who had issued death threats against farmers.
READ MORE: Activists from the animal front worked at the Vega fair – sponsored by Ica and Axfood
In addition to reporter Michael Verdicchio, photographer Stefan Berg also worked on the review. Others involved in the work around the review were reporter Hampus Dorian, editor Snezana Bozinovska, television editors Elin Georgsson and Anders Ylander, and graphics and editing were provided by Dan-Tage Augustsson.
Michael Verdicchio and Tobias Andersson Åkerblom were nominated for the Guldspaden journalist award in the category “metropolitan newspaper” for their reviews. Photo: Stefan Berg
“Roller of the year”
The “Blind of the Year” award alludes to how investigative journalism can get government actors to destroy documents on demand. A violation of the constitution that violates the principle of openness, something that led to GP’s review of the new alarm center for the Västra Götaland region.
Reporter Tobias Andersson Åkerblom, who was also nominated for a Gold Spade, is behind the review that earlier this year led to the purchase of the alarm center director and allowed to resign. This after she introduced a routine to destroy documents where the alarm center staff reported.
Despite this, GP was able to find evidence that the nurses worked alone for various shifts during the fall.
READ MORE: The 112 alarm: the brief review
About the gold shovel
The Golden Spade is awarded by the Digging Journalists Association to: “journalists – active in the Swedish media – who, through engaged and informed journalism, have revealed or portrayed important conditions that the public was not previously aware of. The survey must be an original work, carried out independently. “
An independent jury evaluates the submitted works. The winning works will receive a bronze statuette of the artist Mats Lodén, as well as a diploma for all those who have participated in the work.
The award ceremony takes place in connection with an annual excavation seminar that is completely online this year called DigiGräv from September 18 to 19.
Source: FGJ, Association for Digging Journalists
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