Agribusiness

Furs for billions with a deathly price tag

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When nouveau riche millionaires in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing shop for fashionable fur, there is a hidden item on the bill for the beautiful Danish mink coats. Cold winters make mink fur more popular in China, Russia and South Korea. See photos of fasion and mink by Danish Fur. It is the price of the serious health threat that the majority of the 1,600 Danish mink factories have become. The bill is paid neither by the Chinese nor by the mink industry itself.

Agribusiness

MRSA out of control: Hazardous multidrug-resistant bacteria jumps from mink to humans

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In 2009 the first human case of MRSA-infection by mink was registered in Denmark. Since 2011, twenty-four more cases have been identified, creating fears that the drug-resistant bacteria, normally transferred through pigs, are now also easily transferred from mink to people. Humans infected with MRSA, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, can cause serious outbreaks on the skin, respiratory tract and the urinary tract. Infections with the bacteria, resistant to antibiotics and therefore very difficult to fight, can last for years. The symptoms of infection depend on the part of the body infected.

Investigations

What we do new

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Investigative Reporting Denmark is an independent, non-profit centre for investigative journalism and ensuring openness and accountability in government and business. Our primary focus is on the most relevant stories that have the greatest impact on society. With critical investigative journalism, we will cover misuse of power and systemic failures. In traditional media, investigative journalism is under pressure because of industry-wide cutbacks with fewer and fewer reporters available to devote the coverage and resources necessary for meaningful investigative journalism. Furthermore most journalists do not have the resources or training required to undertake effective investigate journalism although it is widely acknowledged to be crucial for the evolution, development and protection of a democratic society through enhanced transparency and accountability.

Agribusiness

Naturstyrelsen tvang forskere til at slette kobber-konklusioner

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Naturstyrelsen tvang forskere til at slette tre afgørende afsnit i et notat om kobberforgiftning. Vildtforvaltningsrådet besluttede herefter, at der ikke var behov for flere undersøgelser af kobber i vildt – direkte i modstrid med forskernes oprindelige konklusioner. Smågrise får store mængder kobbersulfat i foder for at øge tilvækst og begrænse diarré. Kobber er også tilsat i sliksten, som den øverst i billedet. Kobberet kommer via gylle på markerne og kan optages af vildtet.

Agribusiness

Coverage of stop of GMO corn in Europe

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Investigative Reporting Denmark on the 29th of May 2013 published the story on Monsanto halting production of genetically modified corn in all of Europe, except Spain, Portugal and Czech Republic. Since then there has been a lot of coverage of this round the World. Two days after Investigative Reporting Denmark broke the story, the German daily “Taz” did a story with a German angle, quoting a Monsanto-spokesman from Germany on the same message. That story was quoted by Reuters the same day and the story then went round the World. Here are some examples with links to the coverage:

Internal

Editorial board for Investigative Reporting Denmark selected

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An editorial board for Investigative Reporting Denmark have been selected by the board. The group on five members will work as a draft editorial board until they are formally elected at the next annual meeting. Christian Jensen is chairman of the editorial board. He is editor-in-chief at the danish daily Information. He has a long background as investigative reporter and editor for investigative projects.

Internal

Brigitte Alfter win media freedom prize

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Investigative Reporting Denmarks Brigitte Alfter together with Tongam Rina from India, Jörg Armbruster and Martin Durm from Germany and Ides Debruyne from Belgium are laureates of the “Prize for the Freedom and Future of the Media” 2013. Brigitte Alfter get a new media award. “With the prize, the foundation honours five individuals, who bravely und courageously show commitment to the freedom of press. The prize, which is endowed with 30.000 Euros, will personally be awarded to the laureates on October 8, 2012 in Leipzig,” writes the Media Foundation in the press release. Since 2001, the Media Foundation awards its “Prize for the Freedom and Future of the Media” to journalists, publishers and institutions who show a strong personal commitment to the freedom and future of the media.

Documentation

Publishing Google Maps for smartphone and PC

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We have now found a model to publish a story with different versions of Google Maps – depending on the users device. Look at this story to see how it is done:
145 risikovirksomheder i Danmark

Try to look at the story from both a smartphone and tablet/PC. Two versions in Google Layer Wizard

We have made two different versions of the Google Map using Google Fusion and Layer Wizard. From Layer Wizard the code is extracted and uploaded as html-files to a server for both maps. Most important for the smartphone-version is:

Size: 290*290 pixels.

Hazardous Companies

Forsvaret oplyser om alle 55 oliedepoter

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Forsvaret har overraskende givet aktindsigt i placeringen af alle deres store olietanke. Tidligere har den slags oplysninger været betragtet som militære hemmeligheder, som ikke skulle frem. Nu viser Investigative Reporting Denmark de 55 olieanlæg på et kort. I et svar på en aktindsigtsansøgning til Åbenhedstinget oplyser Forsvaret om placeringen af de 55 anlæg. Forsvaret angiver vejnavn og postnummer, men ikke husnummeret for det enkelte anlæg.

Hazardous Companies

145 risikovirksomheder i Danmark

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Investigative Reporting Denmark offentliggør nu den samlede opdaterede liste over risikovirksomheder i Danmark. I dag er der 145 risikovirksomheder, hvoraf de 54 er de farlige kolonne-3 virksomheder, dvs. større lagre af olie, gas, fyrværkeri, kemikalier eller andet farligt indhold. Miljømyndighederne vedligeholder ikke selv en sådan liste over de virksomheder, der ifølge EU’s Sevesodirektiv og den danske risikobekendtgørelse er defineret som farlige virksomheder og som derfor kræver en særlig sikkerhedsgodkendelse og for de farligste (kolonne-3) også en beredskabsplan. Se Miljøstyrelsens beskrivelse af risikovirksomheder.