Three journalism students from Mid Sweden University—Ida Strid, Elin Myrgren and Johannes Svärd—have been nominated for the prestigious Golden Spade award in investigative journalism. The nomination recognizes their investigation into how companies can purchase fake reviews and high ratings on Trustpilot.The students are nominated in the student category for their project #scampilot, in which they created a fictitious company to explore how misleading reviews can be bought. Their investigation uncovered networks of actors offering paid services to manipulate ratings, raising concerns about consumer trust and transparency online. The findings were published on the journalism programme’s investigative platform DCase.se and also featured in the Swedish trade magazine Resumé.Peter Jonriksson, course coordinator for Investigative Journalism, said the nomination reflects the high standard of both the programme and its students. This marks the second time DCase.se has been nominated for the award.The winners will be announced on March 28 at the Investigative Journalism Seminar in Kristianstad.
Source: Mid Sweden University
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