Three Danish journalists received a major investigative journalism award for their series on violence in public schools. The team uncovered disturbing patterns of threats and physical assaults affecting both students and teachers.
Kristoffer Kræn Sørensen, Jens Anton Bjørnager and Kasper Schøler Fast won the Association for Investigative Journalism's Current Affairs Prize. Their investigation revealed widespread safety issues in Denmark's public school system.
Students face beatings and death threats while teachers experience breakdowns from workplace stress. Some schools required special supervision or received official orders to address violence problems.
The journalists analyzed numerous documents showing a troubling deterioration in school safety. Their work provides the first comprehensive look at the scale of this issue.
The award committee stated violence in schools is not new but the extent had never been documented so clearly. They called the journalism high-quality public service work that deserved recognition.
The ceremony took place Saturday evening in Copenhagen's Inner City district during Graveyard Day at Kosmopol.
This investigation reveals a serious challenge for Denmark's education system. School safety affects learning environments and teacher retention across the country.